The Dreamseer and the Goblin King
by Fading Starlights
Summary: Sarah has returned to the Labyrinth after 7 years and now finds that the dreams she's been having have more weight than she thought. Not only that, Sarah has a target on her back and it's not the Goblin King's fault. Eventual J/S & possible lemons. Change the rating later.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, basic disclaimer; nothing that came from the movie Labyrinth belongs to me, nor does the movie. I might be able to take claim for an OC or two, but I'm not even sure about that.**

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><p>Disembodied staircases floated in the expanse of darkness around them. He stood before her, dressed in white feathers.<p>

The girl looked at him with eyes of wonder, those green eyes, cruel in their innocence, but he advanced on her on the uneven ground.

Without speaking, he offered her a crystal.

Suddenly, she had aged, her eyes were cruel with knowledge now, she was taller, more powerful, more beautiful. She looked at him, and then at the crystal, but she rolled her eyes in annoyance at the orb and turned away from him.

In a desperate move, he lunged forward and grabbed her arm, but like water, she slipped through his fingers and walked right up the ledge.

She looked back at him and smiled suddenly, almost maliciously, and stepped over the edge and disappeared into the darkness.

[1]

Jareth awoke covered in a light sweat and immediately groaned to himself.

That girl haunted him, even now. After all of this time, she still invaded his dreams and disturbed what precious sleep he could get in this chaotic Kingdom of his.

_"-you have no power over me!"_

Jareth shuddered at the memory of that night.

He had been so close – _so close_ – to possessing the girl! If he had distracted her just another few seconds.

Those green eyes haunted his memory as he stared at the canopy of his bed, not seeing it. Her eyes were so naïve, innocent; and in that innocence, cruel, and unaware of everything that she was being offered and was refusing.

Grimacing to himself, the Goblin King sat up in his bed and swung his legs over the side, pushing the curtains away. He had to look in on her. Now.

As much as the Goblin King hated to admit it, he had watched Sarah through his crystal for years, only doing so when he absolutely couldn't resist the temptation. That girl tortured his every waking moment, now. He was bitter, angry at losing, at her rejection, and it burned within him, knowing that she was walking around in her world without any sort of punishment for what she'd done to him.

More than that, it tortured him that he still wanted her.

Pushing that thought aside, Jareth twisted a crystal to life in his hands, then turned it that way so that the crystal would show him Sarah.

Jareth's frown deepened at the sight that greeted him.

Sarah had aged seven years since her run. She was a woman now, not the girl she had been. Sarah's black-brown hair was held back in a tight braid that fell to her hips, her legs more shapely, her curves more developed. Her facial features were also more striking; her face had thinned, any baby fat she'd had at fifteen was gone now, and her features were more defined. What little makeup she wore, made her eyes stand out of her face like emeralds set in ivory.

Sarah was dressed in a skirt and a t-shirt as she balanced a tray with two glasses of ale and one colorful alcoholic drink while she pushed her way through the crowded bar that she worked at in the evenings.

Jareth didn't fail to notice the looks that she got from various men through the room in their fogs of intoxication. Many of those men looked at Sarah as though she was a piece of fruit, ripe for the picking, peeling, and tasting, but Sarah didn't seem to notice their gazes and continued through the crowd as though on a mission.

Finally, Sarah reached a table with two men and a woman, and with a smile, delivered the drinks to their respective owners. The smile was trained, forced, and he recognized it as one someone in the royal courts would wear.

One of the men casually reached out and touched Sarah's hand while he thanked her, but she removed it from his reach casually and left them, not bothering to look back.

As Sarah returned to behind the bar, a particularly intoxicated patron attempted to slap her bottom, but without even looking or acknowledging him, Sarah placed her tray between her behind and the mans hand in time to stop the contact, startling both the patron and Jareth.

_How did she know that was coming?_ Jareth wondered, leaning towards the image involuntarily.

Shortly after getting behind the bar, her boss told her she could take a break, and she quickly exited the crowded room in favor of a significantly smaller room that Jareth wouldn't have considered a lounging room.

The room was poorly lit, there were no windows, a couple of grubby couches, a low table, a mortal device known as a _television_, if he remembered correctly, and a few locked vertical boxes that he supposed the workers at this bar must keep their things.

Sarah plopped herself down on one couch with a sigh. She looked exhausted, and proved so when she closed her eyes for a few seconds and her breathing immediately started to slow.

It was then that there was a knock at Jareth's bedroom door, making him growl. He didn't acknowledge the knock, and returned to watching Sarah as she sunk a little deeper into sleep.

The little knock persisted, but Jareth shoved all thoughts of it away so that he could truly appreciate what he was looking at.

Sarah was so vulnerable, so peaceful, and if only he'd had the power, he would have reached through the divide between their worlds and snatched her away. But she had forbidden him from such an action.

Sarah moaned slightly in her sleep as she scrunched her face up slightly. A few more moments and Jareth might have been able to slip into her dreams, but the knock returned, more persistently than before, snapping him out of his concentration.

[1]

Sarah's eyes snapped open at the same time with a sharp intake of breath. Her eyes darted around in a startled manner for a moment, tension filling her body, as though all of her muscles had suddenly locked up. After a moment, she took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm her rapid heart.

Then, she moved her eyes to the poster hanging by the door and narrowed her eyes slightly. She didn't know what was so special about this poster, it was only for some cheesy movie that her boss had fallen in love with.

Sarah let out a small breath, resigning herself to knowing that, whatever she reason, she had to do this.

"You should probably get that," she said to the poster, "It's important."

Sarah stared at the poster for a moment longer before standing up and heading over to her locker and pulling out her purse to pull out a small notebook, not much larger than her old copy of Labyrinth and pencil.

Opening the notebook to the marked page, she saw the sentence she had written that morning.

_Two beers and a rainbow daiquiri, at bar, guy will try to grab your ass._

With slight smile, Sarah crossed it out and wrote another sentence below it.

_Rain tomorrow, bring umbrella. Tell Toby truth about _that _night._

[1]

When Sarah had turned her head towards him, Jareth had been startled, but as soon as she spoke, a chill ran down his spine.

_"You should probably get that. It's important."_

When she didn't break eye contact and the knock came again, Jareth crushed the crystal in his hand, a sense of unease looming over him.

Jareth knew that Sarah couldn't have possibly speaking to him, but it seemed like she had been. It had felt like she was looking straight through him, like she knew. But it couldn't have been.

His mind filled thoughts of Sarah; how could she have spoken to him without summoning a crystal herself? Did it have anything to do with the man that had tried to touch her? She couldn't have. It couldn't be related.

But then why did she do it?

Another knock came from the door and Jareth looked up and shook himself.

He was overreacting. There was nothing going on with Sarah. But as much as he convinced himself, and hardened his face into an angry scowl for the Goblin who was undoubtedly waiting at the door, he couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding.

"Why have you disturbed my sleep?" The Goblin King growled at the door, loud enough that the goblin could hear him. "What do you want?"

He heard a frightened squeak from the other side of the door before a trembling voice answered, "Sorry, kingy, but letter came! Important letter! From 'nother land!"

Jareth's eyes narrowed at that. It was not common to receive a letter from a neighboring Kingdom at this late hour unless it was urgent, and even then, the last letter he had received had been warning against a fugitive who had proven to be innocent.

The King stood and stalked over to the dying fire, and with a wave of his hand, caused the fire to spring to life once more. Then he sat in his armchair and summoned a small glass of wine into his hand.

"Enter," the Goblin King stated, exuding the aura of an owl getting ready to swoop down and catch its prey. And everyone in the Goblin Kingdom knew very well that owls would rip their victims apart alive with their sharp beaks.

The goblin who had been unfortunate enough to have obtained the letter quickly scuttled in, its head lowered so its helmet drooped forward over its eyes and it walked straight into a side table near the King. The frightened little creature with its brown, leathery skin and beady black eyes looked up at its King cautiously, trying to adjust its helmet so it wouldn't fall.

Jareth only watched the creature with his peripheral vision, refusing to look at the thing. When it stared at him for a minute too long, Jareth spoke.

"Place the letter on the table and get out," he said, cold anger lacing his voice.

Gently, the goblin reached up and placed the green envelope on the table, before turning tail and running awkward out of the King's chambers, both hands on its helmet to keep it on.

With a wave of his hand, Jareth caused the door to slam loudly behind the little creature before looking at the envelope.

As soon as he saw the writing on the envelope, Jareth groaned and brought a hand up to pinch his nose.

Adelaide, Queen of the Green Desert, had written him a letter with impeccable timing, no doubt detailing the ultimatum that the Council had given him the day before, and making an offering.

Without even opening the letter, Jareth tossed it into the fire and leaned back as he watched the flame catch and curl the paper, turning it black. But out of the corner of his eye, a flash of green appeared on the table next to him.

Turning sharply, Jareth's eyes were disturbingly met with the green envelope once more. Jareth sneered.

The woman had enchanted the letter so it had to be read. She had anticipated Jareth's immediate disregard for her and had taken measures. Forced his hand.

Reluctantly, Jareth ripped open the letter and began to read.

[1]

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><p><strong>I have returned from from my several year long hiatus and am going to completely repost this story as a brand new thing. I have deleted the old one, but if you were reading the old version, welcome back. I'm so sorry about the wait. I'm going to try to post a chapter a week.<strong>

**Also, reviews are appreciated, criticism is also welcomed, and if you spot potential grammar or writing errors, I don't mind if you point them out.**

**Lastly, I would appreciate a Beta for this story so that it isn't complete crap and there AREN'T a lot to point out. Thanks for your time, and hopefully you like it. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer again: I don't own anything that is the Labyrinth, in the Labyrinth, or related to the Labyrinth save maybe an OC or two. MAYBE.**

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><p>Rain came pouring down on the early evening. Sarah walked quickly, a small lump in her throat as she pulled out the small notebook from her purse once more. Carefully leaning her umbrella forwards, she stared at the line she'd written just after she'd woken up that morning.<p>

_He'll come back. He'll take you back there. Watch what you say._

She couldn't believe it. She had been fully aware of what she had been writing, images of her dream flashing before her eyes as she read it again, but Sarah couldn't believe it. Sarah didn't want to believe it.

Sarah didn't want to go back to the Labyrinth. She didn't want the Goblin King to steal her away like he had taken Toby.

With a sigh, Sarah chastised herself and put the book away. It was her fault that Toby had been taken. She had wished him away in a bout of stupid teenage angst and selfishness. And she had done her part in winning Toby back.

The street became familiar with the same old Victorian houses of her childhood, and Sarah couldn't help but smile when she came up to her old block and saw that the lights were on.

As Sarah came up the porch, she heard Toby yelling excitedly, "Sarah's here! Sarah's here!" and Irene trying desperately to calm him down. Sarah smiled and shook her head as she shook off her umbrella before placing it by the door, ringing the doorbell on her way up.

Soon, Sarah's father opened the door, smiling.

"Hi Dad," said Sarah, smiling in return. It felt a little forced, what with everything going on in her head, but she didn't let it falter.

"Sarah, it's so good to see you!" Robert said in return, taking his daughter into his arms for a hug and a quick kiss on the cheek. "How have you been?"

"Okay, working two jobs, but okay," Sarah smile drooped slightly as she looked past her father and saw Irene.

"Hello Irene," the younger woman said a bit stiffly.

"Hello Sarah," Irene's smile was just a little quirk of the lips, but it was a politely tense smile.

They walked into a slightly forced hug and Irene immediately whispered, "Keep your socks on and don't show him, okay? I don't want him getting ideas."

"I know, I know," Sarah muttered back before they separated, drawing their forced smiles back on.

The night Sarah turned eighteen, she snuck out of the house and over to a tattoo parlor with one of her friends that had already turned eighteen. Sarah came home that night to find her father waiting in her room for her and was forced to explain the bandages to him. He then told Irene and she had insisted that as soon as Sarah was out of high school and had a job and place to live, she had to leave the house.

During that time, Irene had created several rules to keep little three year old Toby from finding out about what tattoos were and thinking they were a good idea. First, Sarah had to only wear t-shirts, socks on at all times, and Irene had to approve of any and all pants, shorts, or skirts when they went shopping.

Now, Sarah was only allowed to visit on holidays, birthdays, important family events, and to occasionally babysit Toby when Robert and Irene wanted to have a nice night out; like tonight.

"Sarah!" Toby shouted, running out from the kitchen before leaping into Sarah's arms.

Laughing, Sarah shook off the thoughts and lowered her brother so that his feet were on the ground.

"Hey, little man, have you been good?"

"Yup!" He confirmed, earning a raised eyebrow from his mother. Seeing his mothers face, he immediately became more sheepish. However he didn't admit to anything.

A wry smile crept across Sarah's lips and she shook her head.

"Got caught with your hand in the cookie jar, did you?" Sarah asked, earning surprised looks from everyone else in the room before her father began to laugh.

"That's _exactly_ what happened," Robert snickered, trying to temper his smile as his wife gave him a disapproving look.

The old clock in the hall began to chime, signaling that it was five and Robert and Irene quickly said their goodbyes, telling Sarah about what they had in the house for her to cook for Toby's dinner and headed out the door. Irene threw one last warning over her shoulder in the door, telling them both to be good and obey her rules.

As soon as Sarah saw their car turned the corner, Sarah turned to Toby and they exchanged sly grins before she bolted after him and he ran, screaming in delight.

[2]

Sarah and Toby went a little crazy, running around the house for about 10 minutes before Toby ran off to build a fort and they then pretended Sarah was the invading forces storming his castle with her army of stuffed bears from her childhood bedroom to rescue the brave Sir Lancelot that she claimed Toby held hostage.

When Sarah and her bear army lost, Sarah made her dramatic death and laid perfectly still with her tongue sticking out for a full two minutes while Toby paraded around the living room, happily the Champion of the Pillow War before she launched a sneak attack and threw him over her shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

Not long after, the siblings settled down and Sarah began asking about Toby's school, friends, and everything else he was doing.

They just talked for a while before Toby got bored and Sarah flicked on the TV for Toby to watch cartoons while she got started on dinner.

[2]

Sarah presented dinner to Toby at the table and he quickly began to inhale his food, but she warned him that if he ate too fast, he'd get a stomachache and then no dessert. This caused Toby's eyes to bulge and he started chewing instead of just swallowing

As they ate, Toby and Sarah chatted a little about his life before she changed the subject suddenly.

"Hey Tobes, do you remember some of those stories I told you when you were little?" Sarah asked, looking him in the eye. He nodded.

"O'course I rmember," the boy answered with a mouthful of food.

Sarah raised an eyebrow, causing him to roll his eyes and swallow.

"Do you remember the one about the Goblin King and the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked tentatively. This was the moment of truth.

"Not really," he said, picking at his vegetables. "I just remember the song he sang to the baby."

Sarah's brow furrowed. There hadn't been any song in the book. Which meant that not only had the Goblin King sung to Toby, but he remembered that night, if only just a little.

With a heavy sigh, Sarah prepared what she had to say.

"Well, the story basically went that a young girl wished away her baby brother in a fit of jealousy and the Goblin King took the baby," Sarah explained, not meeting Toby's eyes, unnerving him. "The Goblin King offered to let her get the baby back, but only if she could make it through the Labyrinth and defeat him, which she only managed to do in the nick of time."

"You forgot something," Toby said, causing Sarah's eyes to snap up to his eyes. At her questioning look, he said, "You forgot that the Goblin King was in love with the girl and that he tried to make her an offer before she left, right?"

Sarah gave him a sad smile.

"That was part of the story," Sarah concurred. Then she took a deep breath. "The truth is, though, _that_ part was only a story… but when I was fifteen I… I said the words and wished you away. I lived the story and I'm so, so sorry."

Toby looked surprised for a second before he said, "You wished me away?"

"Yes and it was a terrible mistake, but I got you back," Sarah explained in a rush, scared that Toby was going to hate her. "I defeated the Labyrinth and–"

"What happened to the Goblin King?"

"What?" Sarah was baffled. Toby seemed completely calm, only curious.

"What happened to the Goblin King after you defeated him?" Toby asked again.

"I-I don't know," Sarah said, her thoughts scattered in a strange mess. "I never bothered to find out."

Toby made a little "hm" noise as he took another bite of food and chewed thoughtfully. His eyes glazed over a little as he stared into space, lost in this thoughts a little.

"So he didn't try to make you an offer?" Toby questioned.

"Actually, he did," Sarah explained. "More than once, but things aren't what they appear in that place. He was trying to trick me into giving you up. I refused his offer and got you back."

"Then the Goblin King didn't love you?" Toby's brow furrowed into an expression that reminded Sarah of Robert when he was trying to make a difficult decision.

"Of course not, Tobes. He didn't even know me. And I was just a child. He couldn't have been in love with me."

Toby's face scrunched up even more and he put more food in his mouth, eating slowly. Sarah began eating again as well, trying to quell the unease building inside of her.

[2]

Sarah and Toby had barely spoken a word to each other since dinner, partly because they had settled into the couch with ice creak and watched Disney's Robin Hood on VHS.

After they had finished their ice cream, Sarah cleaned up the kitchen while Toby finished the movie and once they were both done, Sarah set the movie to rewind and took Toby upstairs to tuck him into bed.

As she sat next to his bed and was wishing him a good night, Toby suddenly spoke again.

"Sarah?"

"Yes, Tobes?"

"I think the Goblin King really did love the girl – I mean you," the boy said, looking Sarah in the eyes. He said with so much certainty and Sarah almost shuddered.

"We've been over this, Toby," Sarah explained, trying to remain calm. "He couldn't have loved me when he didn't even know me."

"But I was thinking," Toby said in a rush, "in fairy-tales, they usually fall in love at first sight, right? He wasn't human right? So maybe he was a fairy and falling in love at first sight isn't so strange!"

Sarah's hands were trembling slightly, but she didn't let it show on her face.

"Things don't work like that, kiddo," said Sarah, shaking her head slightly. He started to argue again, but Sarah stopped him. "I'm sorry, but I just can't believe that he loved me. I'm done talking about this and you need to go to sleep, understood?"

An angry pout crossed Toby's face.

"Promise you'll wake me up when you leave?"

"Only if Irene doesn't stop me."

With that, Sarah leaned forwards and kissed Toby on the forehead.

"Goodnight little man."

"Goodnight Sarah."

As Sarah flicked off the light, she said one small, sad sentence under her breath. "Good bye Toby."

[2]

Sarah stepped into her old bedroom and looked around. The room remained mostly unchanged since the last time she'd been there, which always surprised her as she always expected Irene to have taken the room apart and turn it into a sewing room or something. Sarah suspected her father was behind that, but she'd never asked.

With a heavy feeling in her chest, Sarah approached the vanity. It still held the picture of her mother and her then lover Jeremy on the mirror and a figurine (resembling a certain Goblin King) that Sarah knew she had dropped in the trashcan every time she was here, yet always made it's way back onto the surface with several old toys and trinkets that Sarah either had no use for or didn't want anymore

Carefully, Sarah eased herself into the old chair and leaned over the surface of the vanity, gazing into the mirror, hoping to see something other than herself before muttering, "Hoggle, I need you."

She waited with baited breath, carefully inspecting the room behind her in the reflective surface, but nothing happened. One minute passed, then ten, and still nothing happened. No Hoggle. Sarah tried again with Sir Didymus and Ludo, and even the Old Wiseman, the Worm, and Ambrosius, Sir Didymus' canine steed.

After an hour sitting at her vanity and nothing happening, Sarah let out a sigh. She couldn't talk to them for some reason, but she had known it would be like this.

Her mind went to the dream that she'd had the night before and could feel the weight in her chest growing with each passing minute.

_Sarah was standing in the middle of a room made of tan stones. It was circular, with a small pit in the middle that housed drunk, sleeping goblins and a few black chickens. Behind the pit was a throne that curved in an elegant, gothic-fantasy style. Behind her there was a small window that looked out over the Labyrinth and Goblin City._

_Her hair and clothes were soaked, her faces flushed and her chest rapidly rising, desperately looking for a way out. It was all written on her face. This couldn't be happening. This just couldn't be happening._

_Sarah darted towards the door that she suspected she had come in through seven years ago, but she before she could reach it, _HE _appeared._

_He looked the same after seven years. A man in his prime, wild blond hair sticking up in a giant puffball of floof, a trademark smirk on his lips, and his mismatched eyes gazing down at her. He wore his Goblin King armor, blacks and royal blues from head to toe, black leather knee-high boots and gloves, and a black breastplate with what Sarah suspected was his seal engraved into it._

"_Ah-ah, Sarah-mine," the man taunted, waggling his finger at her. "You're not getting away this time."_

"_Y-you can't keep me here!" Sarah argued back. "I demand you send me home immediately Goblin King! You have no power over me!"_

_She saw the Goblin King flinch slightly, but shivered slightly as his eyes racked their way up her form._

"_Send me home now!" She demanded again, setting her face in cold rage._

_Suddenly, the Goblin King was in her face staring her down, grabbing her chin with one gloved hand._

"_Sorry, little girl," he warned, what little humor he'd had before was gone. "But that's not how this works. You belong to me now."_

"_I belong to no one!" Sarah argued, shoving his hand away before pushing him. "Least of all you! I am not property and you _cannot _keep me here, no matter what you and your giant ego might thi–"_

_The Goblin King cut her off in an instant, grabbing her roughly by both wrists and pinning her against a wall that had formerly been across from her. As Sarah cried out in pain, the man pressed his lips to her, shocking her into fear and silence._

_A moment later, he pulled away and smirked._

"_You do belong to me," he stated. "Whether you like it or not."_

_Before he could say another word, Sarah's knee collided with his unprotected crotch and ran as soon as his grip had slackened, heading out the closest door._

Sarah felt hands trembling. She didn't want that to happen. She couldn't let that happen. If this dream were anything like the others she'd had over the last seven years, dreams that always seemed to come true if she didn't interfere, then there would be major consequences if she tried to stop it.

With a deep, shuddering breath, Sarah stood, pushing away from her vanity, and left her childhood bedroom, silently praying this wasn't the last time she'd get to see it again.

As soon as she flicked the light off, a crack of thunder echoed through the house with a flash of lightning, causing Sarah to jump and start rushing through the house to make sure all the windows and doors were locked so no pesky owls tried to get in.

[2]

When Robert and Irene finally got home, Sarah had calmed down and was busy counting between the rolling thunders.

Robert apologized almost immediately, having borrowed Sarah's umbrella and accidentally left it at the restaurant. Sarah merely sighed and told him it was fine. Sarah didn't bother to ask if she could say goodbye to Toby, she already knew that Irene would say no, and she didn't want to wake him unnecessarily.

Sarah bid them her farewells. She tried not to sound cryptic as she said them, but she could see a look of concern on her fathers face.

On the porch, away from Irene's eyes, Robert checked on Sarah, asking if everything was alright, but she assured him that everything was fine. She promised to see him again soon, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and ran out into the rain, heading towards her bus stop, hoping to get to the shelter before the bus did or she got soaked to the bone.

[2]

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><p>Hey guys, did some editing. Once again, looking for a beta and I will be updating once a week, always on monday evenings (or tuesday mornings depending on your timezone). Seriously, though, if you would like to be my beta, I would really appreciate it, or if you know someone who COULD be my beta, that would be fantastic. It would be better if I could get one before next monday so they could help edit chapter three (I actually have up to chapter seven written).<p>

As always, thanks for reviews, follows, and favorites.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry for the late post. Two quick things.**

**First, I don't own Labyrinth. Never have, never will. Bits and pieces can be claimed by mwah, but eh, that comes later.**

**Second, special thank you shout-out to tmwilson3, who has graciously become my Beta! You can thank her for the improved quality of this chapter over the other two! :)**

**Now enjoy!**

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><p>Sarah had missed the bus by one minute because she had the displeasure of accidentally tripping into a puddle, and she was now soaked from head to toe. Her normally near-black hair was now shining black in the rain under the streetlights.<p>

She shivered, the air colder than she thought it should be for this time of year, even with rain. In an effort to stay warm, Sarah hopped from foot to foot, doing what could be interpreted as a little dance, in the shelter of the bus stop. It did little good, however.

Her thoughts turned back to her friends. In truth, Sarah hadn't been able to contact them since she was in high school, but she had always suspected that it was due to the fact that it had be through the vanity in her childhood home. Now Sarah wondered why she couldn't contact them anymore.

Perhaps she had grown too old for them? Or maybe they didn't want to talk to her anymore? Sarah didn't completely understand the reason, but she hoped that if she ever _did_ see them again, they would continue to be her friends.

Sarah considered going back to her father's house and asking to stay the night, but she quickly shoved that idea aside, insisting to herself that she needed to get home. A good night's sleep in her own bed would make her feel better.

A flash of lightning sprung to life just a few feet from the bus stop, causing Sarah to jump in fear.

This whole thing was too much like _that night_ for Sarah to feel entirely comfortable… but then Toby's words started rolling around her head again.

The Goblin King? In love with her? She scoffed at the idea. What little she knew of the man, he was egotistical, proud, and a sore loser. Plus, from what she had read up about Fae (which she assumed she was), they either didn't love, or if they did, it was either a dangerous game to play or they didn't love the same way as humans.

But the dream entered her mind. He had- would- might kiss her, if only to shut her up.

Sarah wagered that the Goblin King was probably sexually attracted to her, thus his interest in her and that kiss. She pursed her lips, remembering that she was only fifteen when they first met.

Granted, the Goblin King was who knows how old. The man could easily not care about her age so long as she was physically (mostly) an adult. She doubted he was anything worse, but Sarah didn't know anything about him, so she hadn't a clue.

A cold, harsh wind blew through the shelter, causing Sarah's hair to whip around her head and slap against her face.

Shivering, her mind wandered back to Hoggle and her friends.

With a sigh, she rested her head against some glass and said, "I wish I could see my friends again."

A moment later, Sarah heard a little snicker from under the shelter's bench and her eyes went wide.

What had she done?

[3]

Jareth was pacing in his study, turning a crystal in his hand, trying to think of a way to avoid the obligation he had of inviting the witch, Adelaide, to the Equinox Ball that he was hosting this year.

Her letter had done more than Jareth had predicted. Not only did she bring up his ultimatum and implied offering "assistance", but also she commented on the Ball and made it very clear to him that she expected to come and hoped that he would offer her a dance should she show up unescorted.

This was a very daring suggestion of something with a bold meaning. An unescorted woman dancing with an unescorted man implied either a courtship or an affair. Either way, it was scandalous, and the council would likely force his hand on the matter.

Jareth growled to himself. If only Sarah had accepted his offer all those years ago. He wouldn't be in this position now.

Jareth turned the crystal to see Sarah watching over Toby while he slept. She looked conflicted as she gazed at her brother, but before Jareth could get drawn in by her again, he twisted the crystal again so that she was no longer in view.

Then a knock came at the door.

"Enter," the King answered gruffly, calmly dispatching the crystal and seating himself behind his desk once more.

An elf entered the room, carrying a tray of food.

"I have brought a meal for His Majesty," the short creature explained, performing a rather impressive curtsy considering she was balancing the tray on one hand.

"Leave it on the desk," Jareth ordered, uninterestedly waving his hand towards the empty space. The creature swiftly and efficiently wove her way through the room, placed the food before her King, and backed out of the door.

Once the elf had left, Jareth turned his attention to the window, from which he saw the Labyrinth, stretching out in the horizon, below which the sun was beginning to dip.

Then he heard, clear as a bell, a voice Jareth knew too well.

"I wish I could see my friends again."

A cruel grin spread across the Goblin King's face, and it felt as though his innards were quivering with excitement. He had received a wish, and he was honored-bound to fulfill it… but just how was up to him.

Jareth snapped his fingers, and in an instant, he was wearing his Goblin King regalia, his midnight blue cape swirling around him in an unknown wind. With the next snap of his fingers, he stood in his throne room, surrounded by goblins, and a few of their… chickens.

With a sneer, Jareth delivered a swift kick to the nearest goblin, sending it flying into the wall and drawing the attention of the rest of the (conscious) goblins.

"We have a wish," the Goblin King announced smugly. "Sarah Williams is going to return to us."

There was a confused and rowdy cheer throughout the room. Jareth raised his hand, causing silence once more.

"Why don't we give her a proper greeting, hm?"

The goblins snickered, understanding the mischief they were to perform, and soon, most of the goblins had disappeared to the mortal world as Jareth summoned a crystal to gaze in on Sarah once more.

Her look of fear was all he needed to see to know that she understood what she had done.

[3]

As Sarah heard the harsh little laughter of goblins surrounding her, she panicked. Sarah whipped around, trying to catch sight of one, but she saw nothing.

Then she felt little hands clamp down on her and _pinch_ her, and she jerked away, only to find three others doing to the same. Sarah tried to move away from the shelter, but the goblins were too quick and herded her with pinches and tugs on her pants, coat, and purse into an area that only made her more vulnerable to their attacks.

One goblin reached up and grabbed her hair, yanking hard, causing Sarah to cry out while another goblin grabbed her purse and managed to pull it from her grip, scattering the contents across the ground. They darted around her, chanting words that the woman could only catch snippets of:

"Lady comin' back."

"–saya right words–"

"–Kingy happy–"

"–Lady–"

"–Lady–"

"–Lady–"

"_Enough!_" Sarah screamed suddenly. To her surprise, the goblins obeyed, stopping mid-run, some falling over or running into each other, letting Sarah get a look at them for a moment.

Taking her chance, Sarah used their distraction by taking off at a dead run towards her father's house. She desperately hoped that Robert and Irene's disbelief in the magical would keep the little goblins at bay.

Not even halfway down the block, Sarah heard a screech. A flash of white feathers landed in front of her and was quickly followed by a blinding light and a strong gust of wind whipping around her again.

Sarah's arms came up as though to shield herself from the wind, closing her eyes against the light. As it died, the rain running down her back and the curve of her spine, Sarah opened her eyes, only to have them meet the Goblin King's.

He stood there in all his splendor, just as she remembered and how she had dreamed, unaffected by the rain in his armor of black and blue. The wind whipped his cape around dramatically, and somewhere in the back of her mind, Sarah suspected that it was on purpose.

The Goblin King smirked at her, his mismatched eyes locked firmly onto her face.

"No!" Sarah screamed, turning to run again, this time looking towards the street. "You can't do this to me! NO!"

Before her feet could even leave the sidewalk, the Goblin King grabbed her arm and yanked her to face him once more.

Sarah was trembling and behind her, she could hear the goblins snickering again.

"Hello again, Precious," said the Goblin King, his voice like the gentle caress of the flat side of a blade. "Why don't we get you out of this rain."

A scream tore from Sarah's throat, but it was silenced by the disappearance of the two people and a dozen or so goblins from the sidewalk.

The night fell silent once more, save for the sound of rain pouring down across the sidewalks, into the storm drains, on windows and in rain gutters. Her scream was unheard in the dead of night.

And no one knew that Sarah Williams had just been stolen away to another world.

[3]

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><p><strong>Did I do good with the dramatic ending? Mwahahahahahahaha! *ahem* anyways, please read and review, feel free to be a critic (everyone loves to), and have a wonderful <strong>**day/night/life!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer dance: I own nothing Labyrinthy. Don't sue me.**

**Once agan, special thanks to my Beta, tmwilson3. She's such a huge help, you wouldn't believe.**

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><p>Jareth watched Sarah's panic-stricken form as she turned this way and that in his throne room. Her eyes flashed across the stones and briefly across the goblins that lay in their drunken stupor.<p>

Her clothes were deliciously soaked through, her pale, green shirt clinging to her curves as her wet hair flapped around her face. He could see her thinking to make an escape, and no sooner had she darted towards the doorway she had entered the throne room through seven years ago than Jareth willed himself to appear within it.

"Ah-ah, Sarah-mine," Jareth warned her at her look of surprise, lifting a gloved finger to wave it at her. "You're not getting away this time."

"Y-you can't keep me here!" Sarah argued back, unable to keep the shake from her voice. "I demand you send me home immediately Goblin King! You have no power over me!"

Jareth flinched at the words that had defeated him once, but couldn't help but rake his eyes up her form.

It was the first time he'd been able to see her up close after all this time. Her body was curved in all the right places and her face now rivaled even a Fae's in beauty. Her eyes, dancing emeralds of fire, gazed at him with such passionate emotions it was hard not to be drawn in by this girl.

"Send me home now!" Sarah demanded again, setting her face in cold rage, trying desperately to mask her fear.

Jareth took a few swift strides and was soon standing over her with her chin firmly caught in his grip.

"Sorry, Precious," he warned. He didn't know what Fates had allowed him to fetch her over such a wish, but what's said is said. And now he had her. He was not letting her go again. "But that's not how this works. You belong to me now."

"I belong to no one!" Sarah shouted, her eyes glowing bright with her fire as she shoved him away. "Least of all you! I am not property, and you _cannot_ keep me here, no matter what you and your giant ego might thi–"

Jareth cut off her beautiful mouth and sharp tongue by grabbing her by both wrists and pinning her against the nearest wall. As Sarah cried in pain, Jareth felt a twinge of guilt, but planted his lips firmly onto hers, causing her to freeze and go completely silent.

This close, Jareth could smell that the rain had imbued the scent of spring into her skin, and the softness of her lips almost caused him to groan. This was something he'd always wanted from her.

After a moment, Jareth pulled away and smirked at her. In any other situation, he would have wanted to grin and rest his forehead against hers, but Jareth felt too triumphant to care.

"You do belong to me," he told her. "Whether you like it or not."

She looked shocked and hurt for a moment, but as Jareth removed a hand from her wrist to caress her face, in an attempt to provide some miniscule comfort to her, Sarah's face twisted in rage. Her body jerked, immediately preceding a wave of nauseating pain that washed up from his groin into his abdomen.

Instinctively, Jareth hunched over slightly, his grip on Sarah loosening as he tried to pull his mind out of the pain.

Jareth felt her wrist slip out of his fingertips like water and looked up to see her running out the nearest door at a full sprint.

"Sarah!" Jareth called out hoarsely after her. "Sarah!"

But she was gone.

Jareth carefully attempted to compose himself through the pain and limped over to his throne. He sat slowly, carefully throwing one leg over the side while he rested his head on the other and summoned a crystal to watch her through.

He couldn't just let her come to harm, now could he?

[4]

The halls all looked the same, and several times Sarah wasn't sure if she was even heading out of the castle, or just further into it. More often than not, Sarah thought she was running in circles, but she refused to give up. She was nothing if not stubborn.

Sarah had passed several paintings and tapestries, she secretly cursed her inability to stop to admire. From the glimpses that she'd caught, the paintings were often of haughty and gorgeous people that Sarah assumed were like the Goblin King, or possibly even his family or ancestors.

The tapestries had looked even more gorgeous, displaying what were likely historical events and children's tales in their intricate weavings. There had been dragons and goblins and several other things that Sarah just wasn't sure if her eyes had deceived her or not, but she couldn't go back and double-check it.

For some reason, Sarah had it in her head that if she just ran hard and fast enough, she'd find her way out and the Goblin King wouldn't be able to find her, or he wouldn't have any power over her again.

The sound of clanking armor caught Sarah's attention, and she quickly ducked into a small niche in the wall behind the statue of what Sarah could only guess was a spirit of the air, what with the way that her clothes looked like they were caught in a frozen wind.

Two large goblins lumbered past, carrying those little pink, bite-y creatures attached to sticks that had been used to torture Ludo when she'd first rescued him. The little things made gnashing sounds while the goblins sung some ugly song about what horses did in fields.

Much to her dismay, one goblin accidentally stepped on the other one's foot, and they began to argue, which quickly deteriorated to them hitting each other with their sticks. The longer this went on, the more anxious Sarah became.

Frustrated, Sarah leaned against the back wall in the niche and suddenly felt the stones give a little. Startled, Sarah stood again, and after checking to make sure the goblins were still preoccupied, Sarah pushed against the wall, feeling it move away until it revealed a hidden passage.

A flicker of hope swelled within her as she took off down the passage, thinking that surely a secret passage like this would lead to the outside. If it did, that would mean Sarah would just have to get to the Labyrinth, find Hoggle, and have him help her get home.

[4]

When Sarah found the secret passage behind the statue, Jareth scowled lightly. She was always uncomfortably lucky, but she shouldn't have been able to find that one at all. It was a passageway that was only supposed to respond to Labyrinth magic, which by all accounts, only he was capable of wielding.

The squeak of Sarah's shoes grinding to a halt brought Jareth out of his thoughts, and he noted her look of distress.

Twisting the crystal, he found that she had managed to trap herself in the Escher Room. Jareth chuckled. It was only a matter of time before she wore herself out.

He twisted the crystal back so that he could watch Sarah as she steeled herself, as she started down the nearest flight of stairs, trying to find the way out.

She ran up and down countless flights of stairs, even stepping off the sides a few time, only to find herself standing upright on another platform or set of stairs. She never stopped moving, trying to find a way out.

Then, after about an hour, Sarah tripped on the stairs and only just barely managed to catch herself with one hand and an elbow. Jareth noted the blood on the stone as she began to get back up and felt a little niggling worry, but pushed it aside. She would be fine; it was just a scratch.

[4]

Sarah let out a small angry, groan before shaking her head and sitting on the stairs to inspect the damage. In truth, it looked worse than it was, and it was just some skin that had been roughed up. The worst of it was just the sting.

Taking off her now dry jacket, Sarah pulled a small packet of tissues out of a pocket and began to apply pressure on the wound.

Suddenly, Sarah felt a burning sensation in her hip. At first, Sarah excused the pain as a cramp as it started out light, but as Sarah went to stand up, it grew more intense and forced Sarah to sit once more with a cry of pain.

Desperately, Sarah pulled up her shirt lightly and pulled the edge of her pants down to see what was causing her pain, and what she saw, she didn't quite believe. Burning in a tan yellow light was one of Sarah's tattoos, a small omega symbol, originally inked in black.

"Wha-what the hell?!" Sarah gasped in pain. What was going on?!

Then the Goblin King was standing before her, a mix of emotions on his face.

"You did this, didn't you?!" Sarah half-screamed at him, forcing herself to stand and glare at him. His eyes didn't leave her hip. "What are you trying to do?! Brand me like cattle?!"

"You don't know what you're dealing with, little girl!" the Goblin King snapped back in a fierce growl.

The Goblin King grabbed her by the shoulders tightly and the next moment, they were standing in a lavish bedroom. Without hesitating, the Fae hoisted Sarah up over his shoulder, much as she had done with Toby earlier that night, before depositing her roughly on the canopy bed.

Sarah instantly began to scramble away from him in fear. She didn't know what he intended, but she hardly thought that being alone with him in a _bedroom_ was a good idea.

The Goblin King rolled his eyes before snapping his fingers and summoning a lanky young man with sandy hair, brown eyes, and freckles that looked genuinely confused to be there.

"She bears the Mark of the Champion," the Goblin King growled at the young man, indicating to Sarah with a nod. "It's only just starting to appear. Give her something for the initial pain, treat her hand, then return to your duties. Understood?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," the young man answered, taking a low bow, confusion and uncertainty not moving from his eyes.

The Goblin King disappeared in a shower of glitter a moment later, leaving Sarah to wonder what that was all about before crying out in pain once again as it became more intense.

The tattoo had been placed right on top of her hipbone, which had hurt a great deal when she'd gone to the tattoo parlor at 18, but that didn't even compare to this.

Sarah heard the sound of feet rush to her side, and the man suddenly came into view, concern and surprise covering his face.

"Lady Sarah, my name is Arryn," he explained, panic clear on his face. "I'm a healer. I'm going to help you sit up and give you a potion, which I'm going to need you to drink."

"Why?" Sarah asked, her vision starting to become blurry.

"It will help the process of your Mark's development and make the pain go away. Do you understand?"

Sarah nodded slightly before feeling an arm on her back helping to pull her up into a sitting position while Sarah used her own hands as supports.

Once up, Arryn handed her a small bottle with a foul-smelling red liquid. Sarah's face twisted in disgust, but Arryn forced her hand towards her mouth. Reluctantly, Sarah put the glass to her lips, held her breath, and poured the foul liquid down her throat. The faster it was gone, the sooner she wouldn't have to taste it anymore.

After a moment, the pain disappeared. Just as Sarah was turning to thank Arryn for his help, her vision went black and she suddenly understood why the Goblin King had placed her on the bed. He'd known this would happen.

[4]

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><p><strong>Alright, so read and review as you wish. Be a critic, I welcome the chance to improve. Sorry about the slight delay with this chapter, i almost forgot to upload this week. Heheh. Oops. Well, once again, I update once weekly, and hooray! New chapter!<strong>

**(Things are going to slow down a bit in the upcoming chapters. The next few should misty be explaining stuffs.)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry this is late, my Beta, tmwilson3, had a really rough week, so send her love and thanks for the edits and always making these chapters better. Also, I got fired, so that's... something.**

**Anyways, here's the new chapter, I don't own anything aside from Adelaide and Raineruima (who are being introduced this chapter). MAYBE.**

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><p><em>There was woman with platinum blond hair, and icy blue eyes, whose body stretched out across a couch, displaying her figure in such a way that most men were likely to ogle her openly. She gently played with her hair, weaving intricate patterns over and over again until she reached the ends, and simply twirled a finger at it, causing a perfect little gold ribbon to tie itself into a little bow around the end.<em>

_Her dress was cut low to show off her breasts, and her corset forced them up so that they were practically on display. The dress was as gold as the ribbons in her hair with accents of blood red down her sleeves and around her waist. The skirt tangled a bit in the woman's slender legs, which were partially visible because of the way that she had arranged herself._

_The woman's aura screamed "better than you," as though nobility was seeping from her pores._

_The room, set in blacks, blues, and silver, practically shone. The stone floor was covered with an intricately woven, gorgeously colored, thick rug; a few bookcases lined the walls, with titles that no one from the mortal world would have ever known. The couch was made ebony and blue cloth, and on one end of it was an end table made of wood as black as night._

_At the far end of the room directly across from a door that could only be presumed led to a hallway, was a desk, papers shoved here or there, a few books, an inkwell, quill, bowl of sand, and a high-backed chair resting behind it._

_Beyond the desk, at the chair's back, was a window, tall and wide that started at mid-thigh level, and ended just below the ceiling. The view was also breathtaking, displaying an extraordinary view of the Labyrinth._

_Yet, if one were to look at the beautiful woman's face, they would clearly be able to see how bored and disinterested she was. Her face was as cold as her eyes, and it was Sarah's belief that if this woman was crossed, her eyes would cut through you like broken glass._

_Sarah snapped to awareness within the dream, wondering where in the world she was and how she had gotten there. Whoever she was, the woman looked dangerous._

_Instinctively, Sarah knew that this woman sought power by any means necessary, although, if the woman's red lipstick was any kind of indicator, she preferred seduction._

_There was a shift in the air, and just like that, the Goblin King appeared in the room. At the sight of the woman, his mouth curled into a sneer and he spoke, clear reluctance and venom lacing his voice. He took a small, elegant bow._

"_Queen Adelaide. To what do I owe the pleasure?"_

"_Why, I think it would be obvious, King Jareth, dear," her voice thick with sickeningly-sweet honey that almost made Sarah gag._

_The world began to swirl in colors and light, spinning and spinning until Sarah was watching herself cry._

_She was wearing a gown not all that different from Adelaide's, but it was slightly more modest, and emerald green with silver trim and a silver decorative belt that looked like a slim rope._

_She was on a balcony on the side of the Castle, and watching the Labyrinth._

_The other her sniffled slightly, then said out loud to no one in particular, "There's no escaping the Labyrinth. He won't let you. The only thing you can do is hide your other tattoos from him and make him complete your wish. He won't let you go home, but you can make him do it."_

_She saw herself curl into a ball from where she was sitting on the ground._

_Then she felt the ground slip away, and she was falling._

[5]

When Sarah opened her eyes, above her was a canopy of fabric that looked like sunlight trickling in through the leaves, and actual sunlight shone in bright pillars from the window. Sarah knew that she wasn't in her world from one look around the room.

And it was a beautiful room.

Greens and blacks and silvers covered the room, from the canopy bed to the curtains, and even the vanity and the armoire. It all seemed to be plant life-themed, as well, as there were shining silver flowers embedded into any piece of wood visible in the room, and the largest and most apparent, being at the top of the vanity mirror, looking like a silver rose that had just bloomed for the morning sun.

Sarah forced herself to remain calm for the moment, but she now knew for some reason that everything was now hopeless.

The young woman slipped out of bed, delicately placing her sock-covered feet onto the stone floor and slipped over to the vanity. Inside were several dresses hanging, and Sarah took one, noting out of the corner of her eye a door.

Carrying the dress, Sarah found herself in a bathroom with modern appliances and had a vague niggling in the back of her mind that perhaps this was not normal, but shoved it aside in favor of the large claw-footed tub.

She turned the water on, found the right temperature, then began to let it fill up the porcelain tub while she investigated the bath oils. Sniffing each one, Sarah found one that smelled like a pleasant summer day and quickly poured about three teaspoons into the water and disrobed, being careful to hang the dress on the other side of the room so that it wouldn't get wet.

After Sarah was sitting in the warm water as it continued to fill the massive tub, Sarah began to cry quietly.

Sarah didn't know what would happen to her family; she didn't know what would happen to Toby. She didn't even know if she would be missed, or if her stupid wish would have erased her from her world forever.

What Sarah did know was that the Goblin King could've found her and brought her back to him at any moment, and there would have been nothing that she could have done about it. Just like he already had.

Despair filled Sarah's heart as she began to think the worst.

What if Sarah ever did manage to get back to her family, and they had no idea who she was and had her locked away because they thought she was insane? Or what if they thought she'd been kidnapped and murdered? Would they search for her?

How would her father react?

Sobs began to rack Sarah's frame as she tried to hold them, but they were stronger than her will. Soon, she was sobbing into her hands, salty tears dripping into the water one by one.

Sarah knew she'd have to find another way to fight the Goblin King, but for the time being, all Sarah could do was let the tears flow.

Odds were, Sarah would never see her family again, and that hurt her more than when she'd found out her mother had abandoned her for her acting career. It hurt her more than anything else Sarah had ever known. She was as good as dead.

So the tears flowed, cries escaped her throat, but no one heard her over the sound of the faucet running.

[5]

Jareth paced all in a rage. She had the Mark of the Champion. _Of course_ she had the Mark of the Champion! She had defeated the Labyrinth after all! It only made sense!

Groaning, Jareth came to a stop in front of his throne and pinched the bridge of his nose. How had he not seen this coming? He'd always just assumed that because he "had no power over her" she would never return to the Underground, and she would never be able to claim her Champion title.

Now that was proving to be completely incorrect.

Hearing the birds sing, Jareth stalked over to the window, lightly kicking a few goblins out of the way with his boots. When he saw the shadow of the castle, he knew that it was now morning, and he had been up all night thinking.

Thinking about that girl, about Sarah. How she had caused him nothing but trouble from the first moment he'd laid eyes upon her. That beautiful, stubborn girl.

Besides that, her timing couldn't have been worse. The Autumn Equinox Ball was now only a week away, and with Mark of the Champion appearing upon her meant only that she would have to attend unless Jareth could find some loophole that would keep her away.

One way popped into his head immediately, but Jareth would never allow it. Jareth could allow Sarah to meet with her friends as her wish had stipulated and then send her back to her world; Jareth was unwilling to do that. She was in his domain now; he was not letting her leave again.

Jareth secretly wished that Sarah had only waited another week before she'd made her foolish wish. It would have given him more time.

With a snap of his fingers, Jareth was back in his study once more, only to discover a visitor already waiting for him. And an unwanted visitor at that.

"Queen Adelaide," Jareth greeted with a sneer, giving a slight, mocking bow. "To what do I owe the," Jareth forced the last word out with disgust, "pleasure?"

The woman lounging on the couch under a bookshelf looked up at Jareth with her icy blue eyes and smiled lightly. An inviting and seductive smile was accompanied by a hooded gaze that looked completely at ease on her porcelain face.

"Why, I think it would be obvious, King Jareth, dear," Adelaide said, extending a hand out to Jareth, telling him to help her up.

Like a gentleman, Jareth complied, only to have Adelaide pull herself right up against his chest.

"I was eager to see you," Adelaide murmured huskily, a hand running down his chest. "The anticipation of the Ball being so near, I just couldn't help myself. I was even considering giving you a little… sample, of what is to come."

Her eyes locked hungrily onto his lips, and did a small, sensual lip lick, trying to draw his attention to hers. Jareth rolled his eyes and stepped away from the woman, stalking over to stand behind his desk.

"What makes you think I even _want_ what you are offering?" Jareth asked in a cold diplomatic voice. "As I recall, no good ever comes of two monarchs wedding each other. There's always a fight for power that results in endless death and the downfall of both lands."

"Oh, but Jareth," Adelaide began, "think of what we could do together–"

"That is _King_ Jareth, to you," he spat. "I am also the High Prince, and that position demands your respect. As you have disrespected both my position, and that of my father, you are not welcomed in _my_ Kingdom until the Ball."

Adelaide's mortified face was worth the politics he would have to play later as he waved his hand and forcibly removed her from his kingdom.

Running a frustrated hand down his face, Jareth glared at the spot where she had been.

That woman had a bad habit of latching onto the strongest male that she could find, whether her attentions were welcomed or not, so long as she believed she had a chance of using them.

Adelaide had attempted to hide her… illicit activities, but over time, Jareth and his family had noticed a pattern with her. Jareth had attempted to make it clear to her again and again that he was not going to fall into her honey-laced trap, for he knew better.

No matter how desperate he might be.

[5]

After Sarah had thoroughly scrubbed herself, forcing herself not to cry anymore, she climbed out of the bath and dried so not an inch of skin was damp anymore before wrapping her hair up in a towel.

Slowly, Sarah made her way over to the sink and went searching through the drawers, finding, to her surprise, a toothbrush and toothpaste awaiting her, along with various hair accessories, including intricately designed clips made of precious metals and ribbons.

Sarah picked carefully through the hair accessories before she found a simpler silver one that would match well with her dress.

Honestly, Sarah was starting to feel a little silly as she realized that as soon as she was dressed, she was going to match the bedroom on the other side of the door, but nonetheless, Sarah pulled the dress on carefully, trying to make sure that it wouldn't get wet or dirty.

It wasn't until Sarah's hands went back to pull up the zipper that Sarah realized her mistake. Of the few dresses of the Underground she had seen between the peach incident and the vision she'd had of Adelaide, it was clear to her that it was all medieval fashion. This meant corsets and tie dresses that Sarah would be unable to manage alone.

Now she was at a loss of what to do. She didn't want to go out of the room to find someone to assist her, but Sarah definitely didn't want to call on _him_. Sarah slipped out into the bedroom and began to wander around, ignoring the cool breeze on her back.

After going through several drawers in the armoire, Sarah discovered slippers, various fashionable belts, a pair of riding pants, and a few shirts and vests that Sarah suspected were only there for special occasions.

In another drawer, Sarah discovered a few colorful corsets, that Sarah had no confidence to wear or even attempt to put on, and a small drawer of fresh panties, which Sarah gratefully sorted through, finding a pair that she deemed suitable before slipping back into the bathroom to change them as well as put on a pair of pantaloons that she found at the bottom of the drawer.

As soon as she had slipped them on, she left the bathroom once more, only to hear a knock on the door.

Hastily, Sarah threw the towel around her hair aside and used it to cover the tattoo on her back.

"W-who is it?" she called through the door. Sarah didn't think it likely that the Goblin King would knock if he wanted to see her, but she didn't want to risk it if she could.

"I am Raineruima," a female voice said through the door. "I am an elf King Jareth has asked to help you dress."

"Really?" asked Sarah. This didn't seem quite right. Sarah couldn't put her finger on it, but something about this seemed wrong.

"Yes," the woman said, still on the other side of the door. Her voice almost sounded annoyed, as though explaining to a child. "You are to dine with the King for his midday meal. He wanted to make sure that were adequately dressed."

_Oh_, Sarah thought, a little grumpy all of the sudden. _He just doesn't want me to embarrass him by showing up dressed wrong_.

Sarah walked over to the door, ignoring her anger and appreciating the fact that she wouldn't feel like her back was exposed anymore, and quickly opened the door.

The woman was surprised when Sarah opened the door and that she was already almost perfectly dressed, but Sarah was surprised by the woman's appearance.

When she had said "elf", Sarah had presumed a tall, lanky, woman with long, flowing hair and green or brown eyes, like the trees of the forest. Instead, the woman before her was only about four feet tall, and her face was round; her mousy brown hair was tied up in a tight bun atop her head, and her eyes were dark like coals. She looked more like a dwarf than what Sarah knew of an elf, the only real difference being that while Hoggle's skin had been rough and leathery, tanned deeply by the sun, this woman's skin was smooth like a baby's bottom and green.

After a moment of staring at each other in surprise, Sarah apologized and stepped aside, allowing the little woman to walk in.

"I'm impressed that you already picked yourself out a dress," the woman stated.

"Um, thanks," said Sarah, _I think_. "I couldn't get the laces in the back, though."

"I see," the woman sighed, annoyance crossing her face slightly. "Go sit on that chair. I will have you done up in no time."

When Sarah didn't move, frustrated at being ordered around, the woman grabbed Sarah's arm and dragged her over to the chair and roughly forced her to sit. Before Sarah could protest, the woman grabbed Sarah's hair, now almost dry to the touch, and tossed it over her right shoulder, only to let out a gasp of shock.

"What's wrong?!" Sarah asked, suddenly very worried.

"A silver Elven Star," the woman breathed. Raineruima couldn't rightly believe her eyes. An Elven Star was a seven-pointed star said to represent the power that elves had once claimed over foresight and intuition as a form of magic, but had since been lost to their people. But rarer still was a silver star, which was said to stand for the most powerful magic of all.

"The Mark of a Dreamseer."

[5]

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><p><strong>Okay, hey guys, what's up? Slower chapter, I know, the last two were a little... action-y (that's not a word). So, again, sorry about being late, thanks for reading, and reviews are appreciated.<strong>

**Also, quick warning, there might be a brief... break between chapter six and chapter seven as I'm still working on writing chapter seven and I'm facing a small ****block. I know where I want to go with this story (at least partially) but I just don't know how to get there. Like a map maker or something. Heh. *sighs***

**If you get impatient waiting for any future chapter, go ahead and read some of the Laby one-shots I've written (there's two). One's fluffy (The Ballroom Reversed) and ones really sad, so not for the faint of heart (The Love of the Goblin King). (I'm not really the best with titles.)**

**Thanks for reading, please review, and have a nice night. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm just not good with deadlines for some reason. Oh well. Here's the new chapter.**

**Disclaimer Dance: I own nothing, thank you very much.**

**And as always, thanks to my fantastic and lovely BETA, tmwilson3. If you haven't checked her out already, you should. After you finish this chapter ****anyways.**

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><p>"I'm sorry, a what?" Sarah asked, gooseflesh rising on her back. She had a very bad feeling about this.<p>

"Child, do you not know what you are?" Raineruima asked, shock showing clearly on her face. Sarah watched the woman through the mirror as she took a step back and shook her head, wide-eyed. "How can this be? Have you never received a vision before?"

Sarah tensed automatically.

"That," Sarah paused, "might depend. What do you mean by, 'vision?'"

Raineruima looked at the girl's reflection and saw the worry and fear etched in her face.

"A Dreamseer is what the name implies," Raineruima explained. "A person who may see the future in their dreams. How could you have not known?"

"Well, it's not like I grew up in the Underground," Sarah explained, trying to mask her fear with frustration. "Besides that, that star isn't silver. It's black. It was a tattoo I got when I was eighteen."

Raineruima's brow furrowed. Quickly, she stepped over to the vanity, grabbed a hand mirror from its surface, and held it up behind Sarah so that she could see.

Sarah's eyes went wide.

"I-wha-how-but it _was_ black! I swear! How did it- I mean- what?!" Sarah was beyond flabbergasted. How?! Tattoos didn't just change color! They couldn't! This made no sense and the more she thought about it, the more confused she became.

Then another thought struck her, but it couldn't have been. Sarah hoisted her right foot up over her knee and looked at the bottom of her foot. On the sole was a dove, flying forwards, but all Sarah saw was that the color had changed to a bright, pale blue.

As Sarah let her foot drop back down, she caught sight of both her face and the elf woman's. Sarah looked almost shell-shocked while Raineruima looked like she was about to faint.

Raineruima met Sarah's eyes in the mirror and asked, "You really don't know what any of this means?"

"No," Sarah said slowly. "What _does_ it mean?"

Shaking her head, trying to wake up her ability to speak again, Raineruima stepped towards Sarah and began to lace Sarah up, pulling the strings as tight as they would go, much to Sarah's surprise and slight discomfort.

"At a certain age," the elf woman explained, "a young person in the Underground can obtain Marks, symbols of magic and power. Not everyone gets them, but those who do carry within them something that will help shape the Underground in the future."

"Wait, then why–"

"Hush, child," Rainermuima cut her off harshly. Her head was still swimming as she finished off the last tie. "I don't know how you received your marks in black, or why they may have changed their color, but I do know that they have meaning. Those visions you have been having for probably years make you a Dreamseer, but the Mark of the Dreamseer, a silver Elven Star, identifies you for the world to see."

"So, then dreaming the future is… normal?" Sarah asked, daring to be hopeful.

Raineruima shook her head, causing Sarah's heart to plummet to her stomach.

"No, it is a rare and special gift," she explained. "The last known Dreamseer was over five hundred years ago, before King Jareth was born."

Sarah tensed at the mention of the Goblin King and looked away from Raineruima.

"Can we not tell _him_ about this?" Sarah asked. "If it's as rare as you say, people probably try to exploit Dreamseers, right? So I'd really rather he not hear about it."

Raineruima glanced down at Sarah's foot, thinking of the dove. Silently cursing her luck, the elf woman said nothing and began to handle Sarah's hair to put it up. She needed to look more presentable if she was going to be dining with the King.

[6]

When Jareth arrived at Sarah's room, her balcony doors were thrown wide open, and she was standing by the railing, watching the Labyrinth and Goblin City below them. The sun shone in her dark hair, which had been pinned up with a silver hair clip.

The dress she wore was a green that Jareth knew would complement her eyes, and it clung to her every curve before it fell in a heavy wave of fabric around her legs. Jareth leaned against the doorframe, watching her silently.

Jareth heard the light scuffling of feet, and when he turned he saw the elf he had sent Sarah, bowing low enough that her nose could have brushed the stones. She rose a moment later, keeping her eyes off of Jareth's face for a moment longer, not saying a word, and Jareth merely waved his hand, indicating for her to leave, then turned back to watch Sarah.

The light click of the door behind the elf drew Sarah's attention away from the view, and she turned to face the elf, but froze at the sight of him instead.

"Hello Precious," said Jareth, his face and voice devoid of emotion. "How do you feel today?"

Sarah's emerald eyes glared at him warily as his subtly inspected her from the front.

Her slender neck was exposed with her hair up, yet her throat remained bare, leaving the eye to naturally train down to the exposed skin of her chest. What was shown was subtle, leaving everything but her throat and the skin above her breasts to the imagination. The sleeves of the gown clung to her arms as they travelled down to her wrists where they flared out slightly with an intricate silver embroidery pattern.

"I'm fine," Sarah said, curtly, causing Jareth's eyes to snap back up to her face and appreciate what the elf had done for Sarah by applying a few subtle make-ups. "Why?"

"I was just being polite, Precious," Jareth said, taking on a slightly humorous tone, hints of a smile pulling at his lips. "Although, now that you mention it, how is your hip?"

Sarah's expression deteriorated into brief confusion before remembering the events of the night before.

"It's fine," she barked. "But maybe you can explain to me exactly what happened."

Jareth broke eye contact by turning his attention to a small table sitting just off to the side. There was already a meal sitting on it, waiting for them.

The Goblin King calmly strode over to the table, ignoring Sarah's indignant huff, and pulled out a chair for her.

Rolling her eyes, Sarah walked over to the table, understanding that she wasn't going to get any answers until she did what he wanted. It was a trick that her stepmother had used on her more than once before Sarah ran the Labyrinth.

However, rather than taking the seat that Jareth offered her, the willful woman walked right past him. Sarah sat in the opposite chair, pulling it in herself, taking the napkin from the table setting before placing it gently across her lap.

Jareth merely chuckled at the display before joining her at the table. She was nothing if not stubborn.

With a wave of his hand, the silver coverings disappeared, revealing their meals.

Jareth took a moment to appreciate the cook's selection for this meal: a pasta in white sauce, with a side of a seasoned yam, a salad with raspberry dressing, all topped off with a red wine.

Before Sarah could protest, Jareth poured both of them a glass.

The look she gave him after, of clear suspicion, only made him smirk.

Just as Jareth picked up his fork to begin to eat, Sarah spoke up again.

"You didn't answer my question, Goblin King."

"Jareth," he responded, looking away from his meal to meet her eyes.

"Excuse me?" Sarah asked, not sure what he was saying.

"My name is Jareth," he elaborated, resisting using a patronizing voice. "I would much prefer you called me by my name than by 'Goblin King.'"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

"Alright then, _Your Majesty_," said Sarah. She smirked at his glare. "You never answered me. What exactly happened last night?"

Jareth sighed, looking away from her again in favor of eating a few bites of his meal and watching Sarah begin to steam over his blatantly rude behavior. He was fighting fire with fire, so to speak.

"You received the Mark of the Champion last night," he explained calmly, before taking another bite of his food.

"And what does that mean, exactly?" Sarah demanded, pushing.

"That means that, when you defeated the Labyrinth, you became its Champion," his patronizing tone slipping out. "The Mark of the Champion is what it implies. Anyone who has defeated the Labyrinth becomes a Champion and thus, the Mark."

"So then, why now?"

"Probably because the magic of the Underground sensed that you are never going to leave again," Jareth said, looking up to meet her eyes as he took a sip of his wine. Much to his surprise, her face was not of anger, rage, or fight, but of despair. Jareth gave no indication that he saw or he even cared.

A few more minutes passed without any words from either side. The only sounds that came from either side were the sounds of Jareth's silverware clinking gently against his plate.

After ten minutes, Jareth suppressed a sigh and spoke again, "You need to eat, Precious."

"After what happened with the peach?" Sarah asked incredulously. "I don't think so. I'm not eating anything you brought me."

"As I recall, it was Hubble who gave you the peach, not I," he argued.

"His name is _Hoggle_, and it was under _your_ orders!" Sarah exclaimed. "He told me later that you made him! You threatened him!"

"I had my reasons, dear girl," said Jareth, smoothly. "And those reasons no longer apply. Now I must insist that you eat. On my word, the food is not enchanted like the peach."

When Sarah continued to look hesitant, Jareth said, "If you would prefer, I can have other food brought for you."

Seeing that she wasn't going to get out of this, Sarah rolled her eyes angrily, shaking her head as she lifted her fork and cautiously guided the food to her mouth after giving it a brief sniff.

They waited a minute, and when nothing happened, Sarah glared at him and pegged on, "I still don't trust you," before continuing to eat. Jareth only chuckled.

They ate the rest of their meal in silence. It was far too tense between the two to speak, but Jareth still hoped that that would change in time. He would win Sarah, this time around. He would not allow himself to lose her.

[6]

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><p><strong>Sooooooooo... Shorter chapter, I know, but it has a little bit of explanation plus the introduction of a third tattoo. And so far we have... the Mark of the Champion of the Labyrinth, the Mark of the Dreamseer, and a dove that has an unknown meaning. To anyone who guessed a crystal, a peach, or an owl... sorry, no, that didn't happen.<strong>

**So, y'know, I appreciate reviews, because they're awesome to read. Send me your theories of what's gonna happen or what the dove means, tell me if there's something you think I should improve on or something you do (or don't) want to see. Maybe what your take on Raineruima is? Or Adelaide? I'm curious to hear what you guys think!**

**Until next time (a currently undetermined date)!**


	7. Chapter 7

**As always, disclaimer first: I don't own Labyrinth. Or the characters.**

**And second, thanks to my ever patient Beta tmwilson3. She's awesome.**

**Third, thanks to everyone for waiting for the new chapter. I've been really busy since I started college, and between that and finding a job... well, things have been a bit tough. Thanks for reading, though, and please enjoy the new chapter. After posting I'll go right into writing chapter 8. :)**

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><p>After their meal was complete, Sarah remained set in stone, refusing to move or say anything. The Goblin King, meanwhile, informed Sarah that the room would be hers to keep, should she want it before he excused himself to return to his duties.<p>

The Goblin King also informed her that she was allowed to leave her room and wander the castle. Anything she needed, she would only have to ask for from Raineruima, whom he had assigned to be her personal maid.

The last thing he said as he left was that she would be dining with him that evening in a more formal setting.

Raineruima watched as her Lady, who she now knew was _also_ the Champion of the Labyrinth, on top a Dreamseer _and_…. Raineruima knew that she had to remain silent. Her Lady had ordered her not to say a word, and so she was honor-bound. Not a word spoken to anyone about the Marks that she bore.

After several minutes of cleaning up what was left of the meal and putting it out in the hall for someone else to pick up, Raineruima went back to the balcony to find Sarah sitting on the edge, railings between her legs as they dangled off and she watched the distance.

When Sarah heard the scuffle of Raineruima's feet, she turned, her face still as empty as before.

"I'm sorry, but what was your name again?" Sarah asked politely.

"Raineruima, my Lady," she answered, giving a small curtsy as she did, earning an exasperated smile.

"I'm no Lady," Sarah said wryly, "I'm not royalty; I'm just a girl. There's no need to treat me like one."

"You are the Champion and a Dreamseer. You have more than enough prestige to be called a Lady."

Sarah rolled her eyes. Clearly, Sarah was not going to win this argument. Raineruima's tone left no room for opposition.

As she turned back to watch the Labyrinth, Sarah became strangely aware at how still the Labyrinth was. She'd always thought that the great maze would have more movement. When she'd run, walls had changed places, tiles had been turned around or upturned. There had always been something moving around. Now it was as though it was nothing but stone.

Looking closer, Sarah realized quite suddenly that she could see no dead-ends as far as the eye could see, driving her mind to confusion. How did the maze have no dead-ends?

Once again, Sarah turned around to find Raineruima watching her.

"Hey- uh-" Sarah immediately blushed, realizing that she had once again forgotten this woman's name and wouldn't have known how to say it if she did.

"You may call me, Ruima, my Lady," Raineruima answered.

"Right, sorry, Ruima, thank you," Sarah said quickly. "I just wanted to ask, the Labyrinth _is_ a maze, right?"

The elf's face dropped like she couldn't believe she had just been asked such a stupid question. After floundering for words for a few minutes, the elf woman said, "No, of course not. It's a labyrinth."

"I'm missing something. What's the difference?"

Understanding flashed onto Raineruima's face.

"You are not supposed to get out of a maze," the elf explained, walking over to Sarah to stand next to the railing with her. "There is one way out, and one way in. You are supposed to get lost. A labyrinth twists and turns, but it has multiple entrances and exits. Each entrance only has one path, and that path always leads you to the center. If you get frustrated, you turn around, then you will never reach the center. Even then, with our Labyrinth, there's no way to walk the same path twice, even _with_ the same entrance. Do you understand?"

"Not really, no," Sarah said.

Raineruima couldn't help but chuckle at the girl's frankness.

"I don't know how much more clearly I can explain it," Raineruima admitted.

"That's fine," Sarah said dreamily before her eyes wandered again and unfocused.

[7]

Rereading the letter he had just finished writing, Jareth furrowed his brow, hoping that this would be enough to inform his father to the goings-on of his Kingdom, but not draw his attention towards Sarah.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Jareth set the letter down.

How would his father react towards Sarah when they inevitably met? Would he blame her for Jareth's mistake, or would he welcome her? Jareth didn't know.

Jareth removed the glove from his left hand, and stared down at the Mark imprinted there in light brown. It was a labyrinth with a golden crown waiting at the center; the Mark of the King of the Labyrinth.

How had that Mark caused him so much trouble over the years? Jareth didn't like to even think about it.

The Labyrinth itself had chosen him to become its King. The King of the Goblins. It was a task that he loathed. Ruling the Labyrinth entailed more than just pulling back the chaos of the goblins, keeping the kingdom running, and dealing with politics.

It, of course, also meant that Jareth had to take children when wished away and then offer the wisher the chance to run for the child.

As with all magical obligations in the Underground, if someone ignored their duty, they would be faced with consequences that were sometimes dire.

If Jareth were to ignore regulating the goblins chaos or courtesy with courtiers or the inevitable paperwork of actually running a Kingdom, he would be the only one to suffer.

However, ignoring a wished away child, ignoring that summons… that had resulted in the death of someone he cared about.

The wish had come not one week after Sarah had defeated him, but Jareth couldn't bear to let another foolish mortal into the Labyrinth and let them run. He ignored the summons, ignored the mortals, and a few days later, he had received word of her illness.

Jareth was concerned that his father would hate Sarah, as he had for a time.

And the temper of the High King was not something to be tempted. Jareth had learned that the hard way.

But the High King's anger towards Sarah was only one concern Jareth had. Perhaps it wouldn't be anger that the High King responded with, but joy and welcoming. Perhaps the High King would welcome her into royal society and draw more attention to her than necessary.

Honestly, Jareth didn't know which one would be worse.

On the one hand, his father would try to have Sarah killed.

On the other, the High King would welcome her into the court, announcing her as the Champion of the Labyrinth, and of course, drawing undesirable attention towards her.

The Goblin King picked up the letter once more and skimmed over it. It seemed unassuming, Sarah's arrival was mixed in amongst a series of other events, and Jareth just hoped that his warning about Adelaide would take more of a forefront in his father's mind.

[7]

Even with the Goblin King's permission to leave her room, Sarah didn't feel comfortable knowing that the woman with ice-like eyes was walking around the castle.

_What was her name again?_ Sarah thought. _It started with an "a" I think._

Sarah didn't actually know when that woman would be in the Labyrinth or when she would be gone, but she just didn't want to risk it. Whoever she was, Sarah had the distinct feeling that she would be considered competition, and didn't want to be on her bad side.

Now, Sarah was sprawled out across a couch in a very unladylike fashion, waiting for Raineruima to return. She felt bad, asking Raineruima to run an errand for her, but Sarah's vague sense of paranoia was enough to make her a shut-in.

As Sarah lay there, Raineruima was running to the library to get Sarah books to read up about these "Marks" that both Raineruima and the Goblin King kept talking about. She felt like she was missing something, some kind of intuitive leap that came from living in the Underground. Something commonplace that Sarah couldn't identify.

Rolling onto her side to stare at the fire, Sarah was beginning to miss certain things from home; namely TV's and radio's. It was just too quiet.

Of course, Sarah was forcing herself not to think about what she had lost because of one stupid wish, but it was difficult. The only thing Sarah could really do, was try to clear her mind.

Before she knew it, Sarah had dozed off.

_The woman with ice-like eyes – Adelaide, Sarah remembered now – was standing in a garden surrounded by hedge walls, gazing causally into a fountain nearby. Her gown was a rich shade of red, which contrasted her eyes and pale skin, making both stand out more in the shining sun._

_Adelaide was humming softly to herself as she stepped lightly through the grass towards a bundle of wild flowers that had sprung up next to the fountain all on their lonesome._

_When she reached the flowers, she waved a finger at them, causing the innocent little flowers to burst into flames and disappeared in a flash, leaving only a small patch of scorched earth._

_A moment later, Sarah walked into the small garden wearing a royal blue dress, her nose in a book._

_At the sight of her, Adelaide sneered._

"_Ah, you must be Sarah," Adelaide said, her face switching to a warm smile that didn't reach her eyes._

_Sarah's head snapped up at the sound of the woman's voice, her eyes wide._

"_Who the hell are you?" Sarah asked, confusion and open suspicion on her face._

"_Why, I'm Queen Adelaide of the Green Desert," the Fae woman explained, her cool façade still in place. "But you knew that already, didn't you?"_

_Sarah's eyes darted briefly in thought before answering._

"_Why would I know that?" Sarah's face deteriorated further into confusion._

_Adelaide's act dropped briefly to reveal a brief view of rage before it snapped right back into place. The woman began to approach Sarah, forcing a chuckle._

"_Do you really think you can fool me, D-"_

"Lady Sarah!"

Sarah jolted awake and jumped to her feet, nearly knocking over Raineruima in the process, her heart pounding in her chest.

"S-sorry!" Sarah quickly apologized, trying to calm her heart. "I just- I mean, I had- I-"

Sarah couldn't manage to complete a sentence, her sleep-addled brain too busy trying to catch up with what happened in the dream to really function.

"A dream?" Raineruima asked, giving Sarah a curious look.

"I- uh- y-yeah," the mortal muttered, forcing herself to sit. She placed a cautious hand over her heart as though to soothe it.

Raineruima opened her mouth hesitantly, but closed it again quickly. Sarah knew the question the elf wanted to ask but caught sight of the books sitting on the table in front of her before she thought to answer it.

"Oh, you got them!" she said, picking one up from the pile. "Thanks!"

The elf watched quietly as Sarah flipped open the book to the first page and began reading silently.

When she'd come in, Sarah had been shaking, and when she'd awoken, her face had gone deathly pale. Raineruima wanted to ask her Lady if she'd had a vision, to ask what it was, but she didn't.

A Dreamseer's – no, Raineruima corrected herself – Sarah's business, was her own, and unless the mortal before her wanted to share, Raineruima had no reason to ask.

[7]

**Any questions? Anything that worries you? Criticisms?**

**Personally, I'm excited when I eventually get to start writing Jareth's father. It's still a few chapters off, but hopefully not too far.**

**Have a nice (appropriate time for you whenever or wherever you are)! :)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I don't own Labyrinth of the main characters. SOME side characters, maybe.**

**And as always, thanks to tmwilson3 for beta-ing this story! Send her love!**

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><p>Sarah closed the book with a snap and dropped it onto the table roughly in frustration. She'd been reading for hours and all she had managed to learn was what various Marks meant.<p>

Sarah placed her face into her hands with a frustrated groan.

She knew that Marks belonged to people with the correct qualities for those jobs. She knew that, once at a certain age, the Mark would appear on their skin, and multiple people could possess the same Mark at the same time, depending on age, lifespan, and what the Mark was, but some Marks only belonged to one person at a time.

What Sarah didn't understand was _why_. Why would certain Marks appear on certain people? Why would one person with the same traits as another be selected? How did the Marks appear on those people?

Peeking through her fingers at Raineruima, she caught the elf's eyes on her. She had long since sat down with a book of her own and a cup of tea with honey, but now her black eyes were trained on Sarah unabashedly.

"Sorry Ruima," Sarah said, dropping her hands.

"No need to apologize, my Lady," Raineruima stated. "What is the matter?"

Sarah sunk into her seat, embarrassed. She felt like a child who was caught throwing a tantrum.

"I'm just not finding what I'm looking for," Sarah explained. "I mean, Marks from A to Z is great and all, but it doesn't explain what Marks _are_."

Raineruima looked mildly confused by what Sarah was saying, but she didn't question it. Whatever she was looking for, surely the girl would find before long. After all, she was a Dreamseer; she'd be able to find what she needed sooner or later.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, Raineruima turning back to her book, watching Sarah carefully with the edge of her vision, as the girl got steadily more and more fidgety.

Finally, Sarah stood and started pacing in front of the fire, biting at her fingers lightly as she thought.

She wasn't really reading those books and doing research on the Marks because she was all that interested in what they were and what they did. Yes, Sarah wanted to know, why her? Why did she end up with these Marks? Who decided that she should have them? What did the dove mean, and why couldn't she find it in the book? But that wasn't why.

Half the books weren't even in English, or if they were, they were in an old English that was complicated and difficult to read. Honestly, between dealing with the Goblin King earlier that day and the books, Sarah was starting to get a blaring headache. That, coupled with the dust that these books were covered with, made Sarah feel like she needed to take a pain pill or something.

Now that Sarah was pacing and not reading, she was forced to admit something.

She was trying to distract herself to keep from thinking about her family. She was used to not seeing them for long stints of time, granted, but it was different from never seeing them ever again.

"I think I need some fresh air," said Sarah, trying to get control of her emotions.

"Why don't we step onto the balcony, then," Raineruima suggested, starting to close her book.

"No," said Sarah harshly, causing Raineruima to freeze mid-action. "N-no, I just… I need a moment alone, if that's alright."

"Of course," said Raineruima. "Take all the time you need."

Nodding without really knowing why, Sarah walked towards the glass balcony doors. At the doors, she hesitated and started to turn back to Raineruima to say something, but realized that even if she knew what she wanted to say, the words would get caught in her throat and quickly pushed the doors open before shutting them softly behind her.

Sarah walked over to a patch of stonewall just out of sight from the glass doors and sat down on the ground, knees to her chest, and started to cry.

"I want to go home," she whispered aloud. "I just want to go home."

Sarah allowed herself to cry for a few minutes longer before she sat up again, took a shuddering breath, and stared out at the Labyrinth.

"There's no escaping the Labyrinth," Sarah said, repeating the same words from her dream. "He won't let you. The only thing you can do is hide your other tattoos from him and make him complete your wish. He won't let you go home, but you can make him do it."

A moment later, Sarah couldn't help but burst out into sobs and curled into a tight ball to try to muffle the sound.

She felt her shoulders shake as her own words ran through her head. She wouldn't be able to leave the Labyrinth, and all because that stupid Goblin King would never let go. She was going to have to continue to hide her tattoos like Irene had made her.

All that Sarah could do was make his Majesty complete her wish, the stupid wish that had landed her here again.

Sarah paused, her breaths still unsteady, realizing exactly what that meant. Sarah could see her friends again.

A hysterical laugh tore from Sarah's throat at the thought.

She wouldn't be completely alone here. Sarah could force the Goblin King to make good on her wish, as he'd already whisked her away.

He didn't have as much power over her as he seemed to think.

[8]

When Sarah came back inside, Raineruima looked up, attempting to keep a calm façade, when really she was quite worried. Sarah had been outside for over an hour and Raineruima had heard her crying, talking to herself, and laughing within just the first ten minutes. Then it went silent for the next hour and fifteen minutes.

"Are you feeling better?" the elf asked casually. It took a lot for her not to mention Sarah's eyes being red.

"Yeah," said Sarah. "I'm good. I should get back to information hunting, huh?"

Raineruima glanced at the clock.

"If you want to be on time for dinner, no," Raineruima stated, closing her book gently. "I need to get you ready."

Sarah groaned.

"Really? Do I have to?"

Raineruima didn't respond and just placed her book on the coffee table as she headed towards the armoire. Opening it, the elf inspected each carefully before turning towards Sarah who was watching with an unhappy expression.

"Do you have a preference of which dress you'd like to wear to dinner?" Raineruima asked.

The armoire was packed with dresses of many shades, some fancier than others, and most requiring a great deal of help, but Raineruima was curious if Sarah had any interest in the dresses what-so-ever.

"No," Sarah groaned, flopping ungracefully into her seat. "You pick whatever you like."

Without a second thought, Raineruima grabbed up a series of petticoats from some of the lower drawers, a cream-colored gown, a corset, a blue surcoat that would cinch around Sarah's waist and reveal the lacy, accordion style of the bodice of the gown, and a pair of flats to match the surcoat.

Raineruima placed all these items on the bed one by one, then went to the windows and pulled the blinds so that no sneaky Fae men, King or no, could peek in on Sarah changing, then she turned to Sarah.

"Come sit on the bench here and I'll undo your dress for you," said Raineruima.

Sarah did as told and the elf's nimble fingers swiftly undid the ties on the dress. Once Sarah had the dress off, Raineruima had Sarah take off her brassiere and helped her into the corset, which Sarah eyed with trepidation. Once again, the elf's fingers moved swiftly and tied the corset tight around Sarah, causing her to gasp a little when she pulled it tight.

"Is this thing really necessary?" Sarah asked, clearly uncomfortable.

"This is not like the corsets from your mortal world," explained Raineruima. "They are not sadistic machines to make you look unnaturally thin and keep you from breathing. These just keep everything in place."

As she finished off the last tie, Raineruima ordered Sarah to stand and put the petticoats on.

"Really?"

"If you don't like my choices, you should not have asked me to pick your dress."

Sarah bit her lip with what Raineruima guessed was a retort, but didn't say anything as the girl obeyed by putting the petticoats on as ordered.

Then she slid on the cream gown and sat as Raineruima tied up the back.

Finally, after what already felt like an hour of dressing, Sarah slid on the deep blue surcoat. Raineruima cinched it up in the front. The bell sleeves of the surcoat fell just above her wrists and when Sarah looked in the mirror, she was surprised by what she saw.

She truly looked like she had just walked out of a medieval painting. Intricate as the ensemble was, it certainly looked good.

Before she had too long to admire herself in the mirror, Raineruima ushered Sarah over to the vanity where she reapplied Sarah's makeup. The girl has snuck out of the room at some point and washed it all off, much to Raineruima's chagrin.

Before she allowed Sarah to open her eyes again, the elf fished out some jewelry from a box that had been left on the vanity. She found a silver necklace with blue stones, and a pair of matching earrings and quickly slipped them onto Sarah's person, quickly followed by a pinky ring of much the same.

Finally, Raineruima allowed Sarah to inspect her handiwork.

Sarah had to bite back a gasp of surprise.

"Wow," Sarah managed after a few seconds of floundering for words. "I look like I should be going to a ball, not going to dinner."

"Going to dinner with a King, dear," Raineruima corrected, coming around to Sarah's back and casting a little magic on Sarah's hair that caused each separate lock to curl as she took hold of it.

"The King of the Goblins," Sarah retorted. "He can't be expecting this much effort for just a simple dinner."

Raineruima pulled some of the curls back to form a loose bun at the back of Sarah's head and brought a few strategic locks around Sarah's shoulders to rest against the skin of her neck above her chest.

"Dinner with royals is rarely simple, my Lady," said Raineruima taking a step back to admire her work. "There. Now you look presentable."

[8]

It was ten minutes after the time that Jareth had told Sarah to arrive and now he was sitting in the dining room, swirling his glass of wine casually. He had been over-eager to see Sarah for dinner and had arrived a little early, but now he was getting impatient.

He realized now that Sarah's demure behavior earlier was uncharacteristic of her. She was too resigned, and he had allowed that to go to his head. No doubt, Sarah was sitting in her room defying him once again as she ate something with her maid.

The image in his mind made Jareth fume slightly. He'd always liked Sarah's fiery personality, he'd enjoyed her pluck, but the fact that Jareth had allowed himself to believe that she would actually obey him made him angrier than anything else. He should have known better than to expect her to actually come–

The door to the dining room opened and the blue elf that Jareth had assigned the door to keep the goblins away from his dinner, entered.

"Lady Sarah has arrived, You Majesty," the elf announced, giving a deep, formal bow.

Behind the door, Jareth heard Sarah saying loudly.

"Come on! This is ridiculous! Just let me go into the freaking dinner already!"

"Let her in," said Jareth, rising to his feet.

Jareth was mentally prepared for the worst. Her Aboveground clothes, perhaps, or maybe a peasant's dress, so when Sarah entered the room, looking like a true lady of court, he almost lost his composure and gaped openly.

Sarah may have looked thoroughly uncomfortable in the dress, but she was a vision to behold. A silent thanks went to the elf he had assigned as her maid before Jareth moved to Sarah's side.

"Well don't you look lovely," said Jareth with a pleasant smile. "I'm honored that you would put in so much effort just to look nice for me."

The dead look that Sarah gave him only made Jareth smile more broadly.

"Don't flatter yourself," Sarah returned, fighting the urge to cross her arms. "Ruima was the one who did all of this."

"Then I shall have to give her some kind of reward for doing such an excellent job."

Sarah made a disgusted noise and rolled her eyes as she brushed past him to walk towards the table.

Just as she reached to pull out her chair, Jareth beat her to it and smirked at her, holding out the chair for her.

Refusing to be beaten, Sarah surprised Jareth with a gracious smile that she retained from her days as an actress and stepped in front of the chair, gathering her skirts so that when he pushed the seat in for her, she was able to sit comfortably.

Once she was seated, Jareth returned to his own seat.

"Some wine, Precious?"

"Please."

Sarah pushed her glass towards him for better accessibility, and he couldn't help but smirk as he poured the wine.

At least she didn't distrust the food and drink anymore.

As soon as he set down the bottle, Sarah grabbed the wine from him and took a large drink from the glass before setting it down. She scowled slightly at the lipstick mark on her glass – they'd started bothering her after she started having to wash glasses at the bar she used to work at.

While Sarah was busy wiping off her glass with her napkin, Jareth signaled a nearby goblin to ring a little bell to signal the cook.

Shortly after, two goblins came into the room through a swinging door with trays balanced precariously over their heads. Carefully, each goblin placed each tray in front of the two before running back through the door before Sarah could thank them.

When Sarah turned back to the covered tray, she ignored Jareth in favor of removing the cover. Jareth hid a smile behind his gloved hand at the sight of her eyebrows shooting up to her hairline before following suit.

There was no word in the English language for what the dish was, but the closest thing that Jareth could come up for it was a paella. But no doubt what Sarah was looking at with confusion was the neon-blue shrimp.

However, when Sarah looked up and saw Jareth watching her, she bristled and quickly shoveled a bite into her mouth and chewed stubbornly without hesitating to savor any of the flavors.

After taking a bite, Jareth spoke again.

"While you're here, I have something I need to discuss with you," he stated, calmly. Glancing up at her from his food, he couldn't help but note just how lovely she looked at the moment.

"Is it about my impending freedom or being able to see my friends?" Sarah responded harshly. "Because if it's not, than I don't want to hear it."

It was Jareth's turn to bristle now.

"In a few days," he continued, acting as though Sarah had said nothing, "I'm holding a ball in honor of the Autumn Equinox. As Champion of the Labyrinth, it is your duty to attend as a guest of honor. I have already arranged for you to meet with the seamstress so that you will be dressed appropriately for the occasion."

"Aren't the dresses in my closet already fine?" Sarah asked, somewhat amazed. "Seriously, I could go to a ball right now, dressed like this! Why would I need another dress when I have plenty?!"

"Normally, perhaps, but it is your first appearance to the Court of the Underground," said Jareth. "You need to make an impression."

"Won't I already stick out like a sore thumb by just being there?" asked Sarah. "And won't my status as 'Champion of the Labyrinth' make me memorable? Why would I need to wear something anymore extravagant than what I'm already wearing?!"

Jareth gave Sarah a look that immediately froze her in place.

"Because it is tradition," said Jareth, his voice showing clear signs of his irritation. "And in the Underground, you cannot go against traditions like these. You are going to the seamstress to have a dress made because it will reflect poorly upon _me_ if I do not ensure that you are dressed appropriately for your first royal ball. Do you understand?"

Sarah didn't respond, just looked down at her food to pick at it.

"Good," said Jareth.

They continued to eat in silence for a few minutes longer before Sarah spoke again.

"I want to see my friends," she said softly.

"All in due time."

"No." Sarah voice came out stronger and more rigid than either had expected, but when their eyes met, Jareth could see that she wasn't going to back down. "I want to see them tomorrow afternoon. I can meet with your stupid seamstress in the morning, but I want to see my friends tomorrow."

Narrowing his eyes at Sarah, Jareth gently placed his fork down and intertwined his fingers before his face.

"And if I say no?"

"Then I will fight you tooth and nail until I do," Sarah threatened. "Even if that means showing up to your precious little ball covered head to toe in mud."

Jareth let out a breathy sigh. He knew that she would do it. She had not been afraid to defy him before, why should that change now?

"Fine," the Goblin King said. "But you will meet with the seamstress in the morning."

"Fine."

They finished their meal in tense silence before Sarah spirited away back to her room without so much as a "goodnight."

As Jareth climbed into bed that night, the man could only shake his head. That girl was going to be the death of him.

[8]

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><p><strong>So, Sarah's gotten some confidence back, I swear that that last line was NOT foreshadowing, and there are two more chapters one the way! :) I just need to edit them, send them to tmwilson3 to go over, then put them up. All in due time, dear readers.<strong>

**Thanks for sticking with the story and I'm sorry for the infrequent updates. Hopefully you still like this story.**

**Also, for my real life, (if anyone is even interested) things are looking pretty good for me. I've got a job (it's only seasonal, but that's okay, it's income and something to go on my resume), I got my drivers license (finally) and a car for my birthday (I'm now 20, btw), and I'm done with my holiday shopping because I'm absolutely insane and started shopping 3-4 months ago. Again, had minimal income until now, so it made sense until I got this job.**

**November was NaNoWriMo, as well, so you really have that to thank for this and the next few chapters. Didn't hit 50,000 yet, but if I do, you'll probably get a finished story. :)**

**Signing off for now! See you all soon!**

**~Fading Starlights**

EDIT: Real quick, I'd like to say this to anyone who has a problem with the way that I'm portraying these characters; IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS STORY JUST LEAVE. I get that maybe things aren't the way you want with Sarah or Jareth, but here's the thing, both they and I are testing the boundaries of the story and the characters. If you have THAT MUCH OF A PROBLEM stop reading fanfics written for fun and read for fun and go do something productive with your life rather than complaining and making me feel bad about something I'm doing as a stress reliever. Seriously. And besides that, maybe Sarah is so... aggressive in this situation because she feels she has to be. If she hadn't threatened him, with something she probably _wouldn't_ have done (using the alternative of showing up in maybe some sweat pants or just staying in her room all night, because rolling in mud is gross), he probably wouldn't have _let_ her see her friends for as long as possible. I'm sorry to everyone else who actually doesn't mind this Sarah and who didn't want a long rant at the end of the chapter. This isn't fair to you (haha, fair...) and hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and will have a nice day/night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Quick disclaimer: I don't own anything. Except for **(what is it, three? yeah I think that's right)** a few OC's, but they hardly count.**

**As always, big thanks to my Beta, tmwillson3, for whom you can thank for the ****quality of the writing being up. :)**

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><p>"<em>Sarah!" Hoggle shouted in surprise.<em>

_Sarah whirled towards the voice and grinned, seeing herself kneel to hug Hoggle, who looked shocked and overjoyed to see her._

"_Where have ye' been?" asked Hoggle. "How did ye get here? Are you okay? Does that rat know yer here?"_

_The future Sarah smiled sadly._

"_I'm fine Hoggle," she said. "I made another bad wish and ended up here by accident. I'm just happy to see you're okay. How are the others?"_

_Their surroundings came into view. They were standing in a garden just outside of the castle, presumably in the back. It was a very small garden, with rose bushes planted everywhere you looked._

"_They're on their way," said the dwarf, still looking Sarah up and down in amazement, almost as though he was surprised she was real. "Ye can ask 'em yerself. We all got summoned here by that rat."_

_Future Sarah grinned._

"_It's so good to see you," said Sarah. "I have so much to tell you."_

[9]

Staring at herself in the bathroom mirror, Sarah felt scared.

How was she going to hide the Mark of the Dreamseer from the seamstress? The woman was probably going to see her naked to take her measurements. If the woman saw the Mark, she might report it to the Goblin King. Sarah wasn't ready for that confrontation yet.

It had taken Sarah a fair amount of courage to act the way she had the night before, but now… she just wasn't prepared. She didn't want to be used for her powers. She didn't want another excuse for her to stay in the Underground.

A knock came from the bathroom door.

"Sarah, are you alright in there?" Raineruima asked.

"I'm fine!" said Sarah, hastily throwing on her robe. "I'll be right out!"

Taking one last look at the omega on her hip, Sarah sighed. Why were Marks so much trouble?

When Sarah exited the bathroom, Raineruima was waiting for her with a gold-colored gown, a small, light petticoat, another hidden corset, and a heavy, brown rope belt that would hang down to her knees.

Sarah complied with Raineruima's orders, sitting in front of the elf as she tied up Sarah's corset again. It was then that Sarah broached the subject.

"About the seamstress–"

"You're not getting out of this, my Lady," Raineruima stated flatly.

"That's not what I was saying," said Sarah nervously. How was she supposed to say this? "It's just… I want to keep the Dreamseer Mark a secret."

Raineruima's hands slowed down a little in her surprise.

"I can see why," the elf said slowly. "But there's no way to hide your Mark unless you're wearing clothing over it. And you're not going to have that luxury with the seamstress."

"I know," Sarah sighed. "Isn't there a way that we can convince her to keep it a secret or something?"

Raineruima hesitated briefly before she finished tying up Sarah's corset, then walked over to the bed and picked up the petticoat and indicated to Sarah to put it on.

As Sarah was pulling it over her legs, Raineruima caught sight of the dove under Sarah's foot.

"I think I may have a way to have her keep the secret," said the elf cautiously. "But I don't know for certain if it will work."

"Really?!" Sarah asked excitedly.

"Yes – turn around," said Raineruima. "I will pull her aside and see if I can't talk to her about it beforehand. But you'll have to show her all three of your Marks."

As Raineruima tied the back to the petticoat shut, Sarah hesitated.

"I-is that necessary?"

"Yes."

Sarah sighed before a dress was shoved into her arms by Raineruima.

Without complaint Sarah pulled the dress over her head and sat once more so Raineruima could tie up her dress.

"Do you really think your plan could work?" Sarah asked.

"As sure as I can be with something like this."

[9]

When Sarah walked into the seamstress's, she was almost taken aback by the chaos of the room. There were swaths of fabric hanging from everything that the eye could see, and the only places that looked remotely clear were the modeling pedestal and the immediate area around various pieces of clothing that were in the process of being made.

One of the items in question was a rich orange and red dress-coat that practically sparkled. Without a doubt, this was the coat that the Goblin King was going to be wearing for the party. Sarah would recognize his taste in clothing anywhere. It reminded her too much of that blue coat he'd worn when they'd danced–

–if that had even been real.

As Sarah was lost in thought (and the mess), she failed to notice the rustling of fabrics until a woman sprang out of them, causing the mortal girl to shriek in surprise.

The woman jumped back into the mess a bit before Raineruima managed to coax her out.

As the woman stood, Sarah quietly gave her a quick once over.

She was tall, taller than Sarah by several inches, and thin. Her skin was dark and leathery like the goblins, her eyes black, pointed ears, and markings similar to the Goblin King's above her eyes.

"Ah!" The woman said, giving a big toothy grin. Most were flat at the ends, but she had three on each side that were pointed like a canine's. "You must be the Lady! Yes, I heard lots 'bout you! Kingy Jareth told me that you're in need of a dress for the ball! Well I had justs the idea and I been looking for the right fabrics for it and – ah! There it is!"

The woman practically dove into another pile of fabrics before emerging successfully with a cloth that changed from a light green to faded orange and then to a vibrant red.

"This should be perfect for the accessories!" She exclaimed with a grin.

Sarah looked down at Raineruima in confusion, hoping for an explanation for this woman's strange behavior.

"Lady Sarah, this is the seamstress, Kaia," Raineruima said. "She's half-fae, half-goblin."

"Yup, yup, yup!" agreed Kaia, practically skipping over to a nearby female mannequin that already had a series of cloth swaths hanging all over it. "My dad was a gob and my mum was a Fae." She paused. "Or was it the other way around?"

"That's not important," Raineruima stated, trying to keep things on track. "Sarah's fitting, remember?"

Kaia bowed her head sheepishly and slowly walked over to the pedestal, grabbing a measuring tape that was hanging from a mirror directly in front of it.

"Then, we get started right away!"

Sarah stepped up onto the pedestal slowly before Kaia suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked it above Sarah's head.

Before she could do anything else, Raineruima pulled sharply on Kaia's wrist and said, "Before we get started, we need to talk."

"About what?" Kaia asked, giving the elf a wide-eyed innocent look that Sarah just couldn't quite register. It just looked wrong on her face, too innocent for her Fae features, but fit perfectly with her more goblin-esque nature.

Raineruima pulled the woman's ear down to her mouth and began to whisper low enough that Sarah couldn't tell what she was saying, much to her annoyance. Plus, Kaia still had a hold on Sarah's arm.

After a few whispered phrases, Kaia's eyes went wide, then looked down at the elf with surprise.

"So, we keep this a secret from the Kingy?" Kaia asked, her tone playful, but her face concerned. "Like a surprise?"

"Yes," Raineruima sighed, letting the woman up.

"Then I need see them," said Kaia. "So that I won't get into any trouble. When he's angry, he's scary."

Raineruima nodded and pushed through the mess of the room to find a stool so that she could stand up behind Sarah. With her ever-nimble fingers, the elf undid enough of the dress to fold it down to show Kaia the seven-pointed star.

Kaia softly "ooed" at the sight of it.

Sarah held the dress up as much as she could as Raineruima jumped down and lifted Sarah's skirt enough that the girl could lift one foot and show Kaia the dove.

"Wowy!" Kaia said, crouching down next to Sarah's foot. "I've seen this one before, but you've got the Dreamseer Mark too."

"What does that one mean, anyways?" Sarah asked, curious. She hadn't found anything about it in the books and was burning to know – especially since Raineruima refused to tell her.

"Dunno! Just know I've seen them around on certain peoples."

Next thing she knew, Kaia had yanked her arm above her head again and started measuring Sarah.

Sarah let out a sigh.

[9]

Three hours later, Sarah was standing under the scrutiny of Kaia, who had pinned together almost an entire dress around her. Her feet were starting to hurt from standing, but Kaia and Raineruima had forced her to stand as still as possible because Kaia needed minimal movement to stay focused.

Apparently, Kaia's half-goblin side made her easily distracted, and her workspace was cluttered and chaotic because it was the easiest way for her to find whatever it was that she needed. Her mess helped her control the chaos of being a goblin. This gave her fae side the ability to function the way that she wanted.

Still, Sarah was amazed at what Kaia had done.

Sarah looked like her skirt was made of freshly fallen leaves of all different hues from the lightest green to the darkest red and the palest orange.

As Kaia locked a leaf into place with a pin, she took a step back and smiled broadly.

"There! Just a few more things to make and add on and then just sew it all together!"

Sarah glanced at the clock. It was almost noon. It had been a godsend that Raineruima had brought her breakfast, otherwise Sarah's stomach would have been complaining for at least more than an hour longer than it had.

"How long will sewing take?" Sarah asked, keeping an eye on that clock.

"A day or two," Kaia said, walking around Sarah to inspect her work. "But I just need to find the right pin and we can get you out of that without deconstructing the whole dress."

Sarah didn't question it. She had already seen Kaia run across the tops of several piles of fabric that should have come tumbling down long before she got to the next one, but none fell. Kaia then was able to grab the exact right fabric before moving back, again without disturbing anything.

Through the mirror, Sarah saw Raineruima scowling from behind her.

"Kaia, why is her Mark still showing?" Raineruima asked.

Kaia froze, looking like a deer caught in the headlights.

"That not okay?"

"No."

"But Kingy Jareth wanted her back open a bit!" Kaia whined. "And I already do so much work!"

"Why don't you just give me a shawl or something?" Sarah suggested.

The other two women looked at her.

"But how me explain–" Kaia started.

"I'll just tell the King that I didn't feel comfortable with my back exposed," said Sarah.

Kaia grinned and started bouncing.

"Yay! Then I no get in trouble!"

Sarah forced a small smile.

Suddenly, Kaia froze, staring at a particular spot on Sarah's back.

"Is something wrong?" Sarah asked.

"FOUND IT!" Kaia practically screamed in glee as she grabbed something at Sarah's back and pulled.

Just like that, the entire dress fell to the floor, still in one piece, and Sarah was forced to cover herself with her hands.

[9]

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><p><strong>Okay, so now that you're done, I'd just like to say thanks for reading, <strong>**sorry for the wait, please review (they're nice to see), and I hope you return soon!**

**Also, the next chapter is currently with my beta, so that should be up soon (I'm planning the 12th of January, unless I can't wait, in which case probably the 5th).**

**Finally, I have some more free time now due to... things, so hopefully I will spend more of my time working on chapters and not... goofing off. Heheh. Anyways, hopefully you enjoyed the chapter and we'll see each other soon! Bye!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hello everyone! Welcome back! Amazingly, I'm on schedule! Anyways, here's chapter 10, enjoy. A few quick things before we get started:**

**As always, I own nothing, this is just a fanfic for fun and practice and whatever. And as always thanks to my amazing Beta tmwillson3, she's so awesome, if she hadn't edited this chapter, it would probably have pretty ugly.**

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><p>When Raineruima informed Sarah that she would be having lunch with the Goblin King again, Sarah cringed, but when they arrived at the dining area – a completely different one from the night before – there was nobody there.<p>

Sarah waited in her seat for food and the Goblin King – but mostly food – for a good ten minutes before a messenger came into the room.

The little goblin was wearing a ladle, though most of the handle had broken off years ago, and what looked like a baby's snowsuit. He ran awkwardly into the room, trying to keep the pant legs from slipping over his feet, but not crinkle the note at the same time.

He ran right up to Sarah and held out the rolled paper to Sarah carefully, like he was presenting something very precious.

"Thank you," Sarah said, giving the little guy a smile as she took the letter.

The goblin looked at her in surprise at her words, grinned broadly with his rows of pointy teeth, and ran off. As soon as he was past the door, she heard a little voice shouting, "Lady thank me! Lady thank me!"

Sarah smiled and shook her head, then unrolled the paper and was surprised by the elegant calligraphy that awaited her.

_Sarah,_

_It seems that preparations for the Equinox Ball are more difficult than I anticipated and I regret to inform you that I cannot join you for lunch. I will be dining in my study. I have informed the cook, and lunch should be served to you shortly. I have also contacted your friends and they will meet you in the East Garden after you've finished eating. I will be there at exactly 6pm to escort you to dinner._

_Until then,_

_Jareth._

Sarah felt downright giddy. She was going to see her friends!

[10]

Sarah was pacing the East Garden anxiously. She'd basically had to order Raineruima to go take a break and have some time to herself, while Sarah met with her friends, but now she was kind of nervous.

She hadn't seen them in so long. Would they be surprised by how she'd changed? Would they have changed? What would they do when they saw her?

Sarah stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath.

Hoggle had been happy to see her in her dream. Things would be fine.

Then Sarah looked down at herself. She was still in the plain gown that she'd worn before going to the seamstress. Casually, Sarah tried to smooth out the skirt. Doing something with her hands would surely calm her nerves, right?

"Sarah!"

Sarah whirled towards the voice, grinning.

Hoggle looked like he was about to have a heart attack but Sarah rushed towards him anyways and quickly knelt on the stone path to hug the dwarf.

Hoggle patted her back awkwardly until she pulled away from him, still grinning.

"Where have ye' been?" asked Hoggle, his face showing only concern. "How did ye get here? Are you okay? Does that rat know yer here?"

Sarah's face softened into a sad smile.

"I'm fine Hoggle," she said. "I made another bad wish and ended up here by accident. I'm just happy to see you're okay. How are the others?"

"They're on their way," said the dwarf, still looking Sarah up and down in amazement, almost as though he was surprised she was real. "Ye can ask 'em yerself. We all got summoned here by that rat."

Sarah grinned again.

"It's so good to see you," said Sarah. "I have so much to tell you."

"Lady Sarah!"

"Sawa!"

Sarah looked saw Sir Didymus riding atop Ludo as they entered the garden.

"Hi guys!" Sarah called to them, standing and walking over to them. "It's so good to see you!"

"My Lady! It is an honor to see you again!" said Sir Didymus, removing his hat and bowing his head without leaving the rockcaller's back.

Sarah suppressed a smile then looked around, realizing something was missing.

"Where's Ambrosius?" asked Sarah.

"Alas, my valiant steed perished two years ago," Sir Didymus stated with great emotion.

"I'm so sorry," said Sarah. "I didn't know."

"It is quite alright," the fox said. "Ambrosius died a noble death and–"

"The mutt is gone," Hoggle grumbled. "There are more important things happening right now."

"Sawa here!" Ludo chimed in, happily oblivious to the conversation. "Sawa staying?"

Sarah couldn't help but crack a smile. Ludo was always so sweet.

"Yeah, Ludo," said Sarah. "I'm staying in the Labyrinth now. I have a bedroom in the castle and everything."

"But of course!" Sir Didymus said. "Let me down, please, brother Ludo!"

The rockcaller obediently got down to his knees so that the fox could jump down without hurting himself.

Sir Didymus continued once he was on the ground. "The King would be a true fiend if he didn't give a Lady a proper place to rest her head at night!"

"Don't give that rat any kinda credit!" said Hoggle. "A rat's a rat!"

Sarah couldn't help it and she started to laugh. She didn't know why, but she just couldn't help herself. Her laughter filled the air, causing the others to stop in their tracks.

They hadn't heard Sarah laugh since their party the night she actually defeated the Labyrinth.

"Sawa happy!" Ludo said, smiling big.

Then the rockcaller lumbered over to Sarah pulled her into a big hug.

"Ludo happy to see Sawa," the big guy said, giving her his wide smile.

"I'm happy to see you guys, too," said Sarah, hugging him back. "Now let go; I need to breathe."

[10]

Sarah and her friends sat in the garden and spoke for hours. She told them about her life back in her world, how things had progressed, but left out what she could about her dreams and the tattoos.

They, likewise, filled her in on the goings on of the Underground.

Apparently, Ambrosius had died because he had pulled Sir Didymus out of a frozen pond. The cold water had been too much for the old dog to take and he had perished a few days later. Sarah realized that Ambrosius' death coincided with Merlin's death, but brushed it off a mere coincidence.

Sir Didymus had been promoted to a knight of the realm and had been assigned as head patrol guard in the Labyrinth, to make sure no pesky intruders made it very far.

Hoggle was still a gardener, but now he was working farther in the Labyrinth. Mostly he worked in gardens like the one they were in.

Ludo, however, had simply been making better friends with the Labyrinth and the rocks. He'd also taken to being Sir Didymus' new steed on occasion when the fox needed some more help.

While they sat in the garden, they talked about the upcoming ball and Sir Didymus had been more than happy to teach Sarah some basic dance steps, using Ludo as her partner, as he was the closest to her height. Dancing with the rockcaller had, of course, been a challenge, but Sarah had taken to it like a fish to water.

Sir Didymus also trained Sarah in the ways of properly bowing and curtsying and, of course, had advised her to carry a knife in her sleeve if possible in case she should be attacked, as royal functions were ideal grounds for assassination attempts. Sarah agreed to keep that in mind.

While Sarah was dancing away the time, Sarah failed to notice the position of the sun and the time.

As Sir Didymus insisted that there is no dancing without music, he had begun to sing a famous Underground love song. It was off key and not very well sung, but Sarah was having so much fun, she didn't care.

Suddenly, Hoggle's complaints about Sir Didymus' singing ceased and she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

"Might I cut in, Precious?"

Sarah froze.

"If you wanted to dance with Ludo that badly, you should've just said so," said Sarah, surprised by her own quick retort.

"Hi King!" said Ludo.

The Goblin King scowled as Sarah turned to him with a wry smile on her face.

"I should say the same about your dance lessons," he said, crossing his arms across his chest. "You could have just asked and I would gladly have taught you."

"Based on what happened with lunch," said Sarah, "I _think_ you have more important things to do. Now go on, your dance partner is waiting."

With a raised eyebrow, the Goblin King grabbed Sarah's waist and brought her body closer to his.

"Then, shall we?"

The Goblin King eased Sarah into a waltz to match the music.

"Really, Your Majesty?" deadpanned Sarah, glaring at him. In truth, she was trying not to look at her feet. Not that she would have minded stepping on his toes.

"What is it, Precious?" asked the Goblin King, feigning innocence.

Sarah avoided looking at him and instead focused on poor Hoggle who looked like he was about to have a heart attack.

"You're scaring one of my friends," she stated, "and you managed to ruin a perfectly good time by showing up."

"I told you I'd pick you up for dinner, love," said the Goblin King, raising an eyebrow. "Besides, it seems you feel cheated that I had to miss lunch with you."

Sarah's face grew hot.

"That's not what that meant and you know it!" Sarah almost screamed, startling Sir Didymus to stop his singing.

"Oh my!" the fox exclaimed, hopping up from his seat and taking a large, flourishing bow. "Your Majesty! I was so caught up in singing; I did not realize you were here! My deepest and sincerest apologies!"

The Goblin King didn't remove his eyes from Sarah, nor did he cease dancing.

"That's quite alright," said the Goblin King. "It's time for the Lady's dinner, anyways."

"Of course your Majesty!" Sir Didymus turned to Sarah and took another deep flourishing bow. "My Lady, it was an honor to see you again! I hope we meet again soon."

With a little effort, Sarah managed to detach herself from the Goblin King and made a quick curtsy before walking over to Sir Didymus and kneeling to give the fox a hug.

"Me too," Sarah said. "I hope to see you all soon."

Next, Sarah hugged Hoggle, who patted her awkwardly and muttered something about missing her.

When Sarah hugged Ludo, he was surprisingly careful not to crush her this time and asked, "Sawa friend? See Sawa again?"

"Yes, Ludo," she said. "We'll see each other again."

As she pulled away, she gave the giant orange monster a big smile.

Then she turned to the Goblin King and sighed, clearly displeased with this development.

"Right, let's get this over with," said Sarah, walking past him.

The Goblin King quickly caught her arm.

"Not that way, Precious," said Jareth.

A moment later, they disappeared in a shower of glitter.

[10]

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><p><strong>Yeah, was it me, or was this a short chapter? Well, next chapter, things are going to start with some intrigue and... lets just say, for Sarah, there are some dreams you <em>don't<em> want to come true, am I right? *laughs awkwardly***

**Well, I'll just leave you here, I'm working on chapter 11 as we speak, and my hope is to have it up by the 26th, but that really depends on me getting my butt in gear. We'll see, eh?**

**Have a wonderful time reading this and best of luck to you all in this exciting new year!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaim Dance Magic Dance: I don't own own Labyrinth. Or that bad joke. Or the characters. Fun fanfic for fun. **(oh gods i hate myself for that joke)

**Thanks to tmwillson3 for Beta editing! I missed a lot and she saved me from a run on sentence this time. A really bad one. Thanks so much.**

**Also, this is a longer chapter than normal... have fun! :D**

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><p>Sarah awoke covered in sweat.<p>

The sky was still dark when Sarah pushed back the curtains surrounding her bed. She shivered as the cold air drifted in, but she had so much adrenaline pumping that she couldn't sit still.

Hopping out of bed, Sarah cringed when her bare feet hit the floor, but she still started pacing, thinking desperately.

This had never happened before.

Her dreams were just a blur of images, nothing distinct, nothing clear but the occasional moment that stuck out.

_The world moved around her so quickly, the bodies dancing looked more like blurs than bodies. It was like watching a movie on fast forward, until everything started moving at normal speed, just for a moment. _

_Adelaide was dancing with the Goblin King, looking smugly over her shoulder to see if Sarah was jealous._

_Blurs of dancing bodies._

_Sarah danced with the Goblin King in the dress that Kaia was making her, matching his dress coat perfectly._

_Blurs._

_A knife. A hand. Blood._

_Blurs. The dancing stops._

_Adelaide looking furious, a large crowd, the Goblin King completely speechless while a man standing above everyone else looked amazed and confused._

_The crowd parting._

Sarah didn't know what she'd witnessed beyond the vague idea that it must have been the ball, but the scary part was that Sarah rarely dreamt more than a day ahead at a time.

The ball was still – Sarah glanced at the clock – two days away. It was way too early to be dreaming about that.

The last time Sarah had dreamt this far ahead, it had only been to catch a glimpse of her great-grandmother dying in her sleep.

Sarah shivered, rubbing her hands up and down her arms in vain.

Something big was going to happen, Sarah was sure of that. Something was going to happen at that ball that was going to put her on Adelaide's bad side, something that was going to render the Goblin King speechless, and shock the party-goers, but Sarah could not see what.

She shuttered.

Sarah didn't know what she could possibly do, but she knew she wouldn't able to sleep comfortably after this and went to the fireplace.

It took a little effort at her inexperienced hands, but Sarah got the fire going before she settled into the couch with one of the books that were still residents in her room and she began to read in the vain hope that she could discover something important.

[11]

Raineruima was mildly appalled when she discovered Sarah sleeping in her nightgown, exposed to the open air, on the couch with a book still open in her lap. A Lady should never sleep like that, especially not while she was the guest of a King. Raineruima was just grateful she was the only one to see Sarah like this and no other unexpected guests had tried to take a peek at the girl.

When the girl turned over in her sleep towards the back of the couch, Raineruima sighed.

She couldn't wake the girl up. She was a Dreamseer. Her dreams, no matter how trivial in appearance, were always important.

Instead, the elf set about making the room ready for the day. She pulled back and tied up the curtains around Sarah's bed, ran a hot bath so that it would still be warm for Sarah when she got in, found a dress for the girl to wear during the day and laid it out on the bed, and managed to grab a passing goblin and ordered it to bring up some breakfast.

By the time Raineruima had finished prepping Sarah's morning, the girl had started to stir, making an odd whimpering sound in her sleep.

Raineruima did not interfere with Sarah's dreams and merely sat in the chair nearby, waiting with a book in her lap like she had a few days before.

Suddenly, Sarah shot up with a gasp, startling Raineruima enough to yelp.

Sarah's eyes, still clouded with sleep, looked up at Raineruima with confusion.

"Ruima?" Sarah asked, trying to rub the sand out. "What are you doing here?"

"It's morning, my Lady," said Raineruima, closing her book softly. "It's time to get you ready for the day."

Sarah yawned.

"Do we have to?" asked Sarah. "Can't I just go back to sleep?"

Raineruima did not answer, but gave Sarah a disapproving look.

Though Sarah seemed to struggle with a decision for a moment, the girl got up and turned towards the bathroom before freezing in place and looking at the dress that Raineruima had laid out for her.

It was a nice, royal blue gown, very simple, with light beading on the front.

"Is-is that the dress I'll be wearing today?" Sarah asked nervously.

"Of course it is! Now go get in the bath before it gets cold!"

Sarah paused, looking at the dress with some level of dislike before running for the bathroom, slamming the door behind her.

[11]

After being subjected to Kaia for the second morning in a row, Sarah was even more impressed by the woman. The half-fae, half-goblin was able to sew with both hands at the same time while Sarah was standing in the dress, without pricking her once.

Whenever a pin had to be removed, Kaia would grab it with her teeth and spit it into the wall, where it would get lodged until she was ready to take it out.

Honestly, Sarah didn't know what else to expect from this woman, as she had two more mornings with her, but surely, things couldn't get stranger.

After that, Sarah had, once again, dined with the Goblin King, where she'd cautiously asked questions about what was going to happen at the ball, if there was anyone she was going to have to act a certain way towards, etc. All that he'd said was that the High King was going to be present and she would need to pay her respects towards him and his son. Nothing more.

After that, Sarah had gone back to her room to grab a book before heading outside to read in the garden.

She was scared, honestly. Sarah knew the kind of air that Adelaide gave off in her dreams – entitled and very much the "if you get my way, I'll eat you alive" kind of woman – but airs like that occasionally changed.

It was only early afternoon and Sarah was sitting in the garden with Raineruima a few benches off, lying under an umbrella. Apparently, when an elf her color burned, they turned an awful shade of yellow.

Sarah was watching Raineruima carefully out of the corner of her eye. She could tell that any second now, the elf would doze off and Sarah would be free to wander the garden with her book.

The mortal girl tried not to think too hard on the matter and instead focused on her book. The text was less of a dictionary of Marks, and was more of an in-depth book on major figures in Underground history with explanations of what their Marks were and how it influenced everything they did and why.

History had never been Sarah's favorite, but for some reason, this book had caught her attention.

So far, Sarah had only read three different tales, but they were certainly very interesting.

One had detailed the rise of the first High King. Apparently, when the man had come of age, a Mark appeared on his forehead, a crown with a sword and a heart inside of it. A great war broke out as a result as Marks depicting royalty often had a clear indicator of the land they would rule, yet this young man did not.

The man fought battles, worked tirelessly and ultimately came up with a proposition; all Kingdoms would be allowed to stay as they were, but they would have to answer to him as the High King, the King above them all. In order to stop the wars, the monarchs all agreed.

Another spoke of a poet who came of age and received the Mark of Scrutiny. According to the book, the Mark looked like a black flower and it had appeared below his collarbone. But because it was a lesser known Mark at the time, he didn't know what it represented and continued on his merry way, writing poems about what it could be. But his poetry began to take a very strange turn when he began writing about various people and what their marks were without ever having seen these people.

It turned out that the Mark of Scrutiny allowed the person who wore to think on a certain Mark and discover the identity of their bearer, and vice versa, think on a person and discover their Mark. Because of this, the poet gained so much attention, from power-hungry individuals seeking to find the strengths and weaknesses of their enemies, that the young man took his life to keep them from having his power.

The third had been a confusing story about… well, Sarah wasn't sure. It had talked about what she could only assume was some kind of spirit that had searched long and hard for a person to give something to, then it suddenly changed to a story about a little boy who liked to play tricks on people in the Aboveground.

The story said that the little boy accidentally fell through a hole into the Underground where he met goblins and as he was playing with them, a Mark appeared on him that was only described as a "winding road."

Sarah sighed, looking at the title of the next chapter. "The Elf of Farraigí."

She'd barely read the first paragraph of it and had become bored. This book had a tendency to be long-winded and as a result, Sarah had read entire pages only to find she had to go back and reread because she hadn't absorbed a single thing, or they just hadn't said much.

Sarah glanced over to Raineruima, whose eyes were now closed, but Sarah still couldn't be sure she was asleep before she let out another soft sigh.

"Come on, Sarah," she said to herself, "you can do this. Just keep reading. Everything will be fine."

_On the Southern most peninsula of the island Farraigí, called such because the rulers of the Seas lived there, a town grew. This island has long been known as a prosperous trading post for good that come from the sea and a site for neutral ground negotiations between the aquatic species and those species that walk the land._

_Farraigí, for a very long time, was nothing more than a fishing town. At the time of the birth of an elf named Hadrion, this was true as well._

_It is said that she was born in the midst of a large storm, one that nearly threatened the whole town to be washed into the sea. The only reason that the town was not was due to the foresight of an elderly sea nymph that had seen many bad storms like that one in her youth._

_Hadrion was born colored blue, with a silver birthmark on her cheek in the shape of a seven-pointed star._

Sarah's eyes widened and reread that passage.

The Mark of the Dreamseer was a birthmark on an elf-child? No evidence Sarah had come across so far has shown her that a Mark could appear before the age of seven. Usually, Marks would appear on a person when they were just out of puberty.

No, Sarah couldn't believe it.

Off to her right, a soft snore rose from Raineruima, drawing Sarah's gaze away from her book.

A chill suddenly filled the air and Sarah shivered in fear, looking at the entrance to the hedge maze.

This was it.

[11]

Sarah was frustrated now. The way this story had been written was really bad. There was little to no focus; the story kept shifting attention away from Hadrion. When it did come back to her, it knew what to say.

As Hadrion had grown up she'd had dreams that would sometimes come true. If she didn't say anything about her dreams, nobody knew if it was a common occurrence, or possibly a constant one, but she grew up a quiet, confident, and mysterious child that very few understood.

When she was seven years old, she walked straight in to a business negotiation between the First High King and the King of the Merrow. They were startled when the child walked in, but she'd simply told them she knew what they needed to keep the peace and strengthen relations between the Merrow and other races.

Hadrion had led the kings down to the beach and carefully counted fifteen steps away from a piece of driftwood that had washed ashore. From there, she started digging in the sand carefully. The Kings had both watched skeptically until the little girl pulled a golden bracelet out of the sand. She told the Kings that many treasures like this one lay under the sea, along with many different kinds of food and cures for poisons for which there was none.

The little girl managed to successfully negotiate a treaty between two Kings that day. From that day on, however, the High King kept a very close eye on her.

As the town began to grow, so did Hadrion.

By the time she was seventeen, the girl had prevented several fires, a murder, and freed an innocent man before he could be executed.

The year she turned twenty-three, Hadrion was summoned to the High King's court. There, she was questioned and she was able to tell them what she was, because she had dreamed of what she would say to them. She was the first Dreamseer.

Sarah watched her surroundings from the corners of her eyes, trying not to walk into plants, walls, or the few statues that she passed and occasionally stopped to admire if she needed a brief break from the book.

It was terrifying and exciting to have a history of previous Dreamseers in her hands. Her power was pretty straightforward, but Sarah figured that maybe this could have more details if she just read further. Something subtly of the dreams, possibly how to shut them off for a night so she could just have a regular dream or no dreams at all.

Sarah turned a page, her eyes and feet constantly moving.

_At age twenty-seven, Hadrion was married to a member of the High King's court, a young Fae man named Qwincell. The High King knew that her powers were growing and that she needed to remain in his court for both her safety and the safety of the realm, for, if her power were to fall into the wrong hands–_

"Ah, you must be Sarah."

As Sarah's head snapped up, her eyes catching sight of the daring red gown before she met the woman's icy eyes. A chill crawled slowly down Sarah's spine.

"Who the hell are you?" Sarah didn't hide her confusion or her suspicion. She knew instinctively this woman could not be trusted, but Sarah was genuinely confused as to how she had managed to find her way here without even realizing.

Glancing down, Sarah caught sight of the scorched circle of bare land, where wildflowers had lived only moments before.

"Why, I'm Queen Adelaide of the Green Desert," the blonde woman explained. "But you knew that already didn't you?"

Adelaide's warm smile made Sarah feel like she was a piece of meat coated in a nice steak sauce with a side of potatoes and served up on silver platter to a lion.

Sarah had to think for a moment under this woman's intimidating gaze before she responded.

"Why would I know that?" asked Sarah, clutching the still open book in her hands and faking a little more confusion.

Alarms were ringing in the back of Sarah's mind as Adelaide's face flashed rage, like the lion was being held back so that it couldn't reach its meal.

When the Fae's face snapped back into a honey-sweet smile, Sarah had to fight the urge to run. Not yet. Sarah knew that she couldn't run yet.

A terrifying thought ran through Sarah's head.

_I don't know my way back to the castle._

Adelaide forced a chuckle and took a few steps forwards, forcing Sarah a few steps back.

"You really think you can fool me, Dreamseer?"

Sarah kept up her act and raised an eyebrow at Adelaide.

"I'm sorry, what?" Sarah asked, her voice surprisingly calm. "Listen, I think you have the wrong person."

Adelaide's smile tightened.

"I assure you, I don't," the Fae stated. "You are the current Dreamseer, and you can ensure that I will get everything I want."

Sarah couldn't help but crack a skeptical smile.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about, lady," Sarah stated. "And I _doubt_ I can help you."

Adelaide's smile softened and she forced her eyes too as well. Clearly, she was only getting more and more agitated.

"Where are you from, mortal?"

"I'm pretty sure Raineruima called it the 'Aboveground,'" said Sarah.

"And what are you doing in the Labyrinth?"

"I came back to visit for a while," Sarah explained coolly. "Jareth said I could stay as his guest as long as I didn't get into any trouble."

Adelaide's smile disappeared to a look of utter shock. She almost looked offended.

"What did you just say?" Adelaide asked, her voice betraying a trace of Sarah assumed was fear.

"Well, I mean, I beat the Labyrinth when I was fifteen," Sarah said in a rush, playing dumb. Her plan to use the Goblin King's name worked. Hopefully it would intimidate Adelaide enough to leave her alone. "I made some friends while I was here and–"

"No, I mean, what did you call the Goblin King?"

"His name," Sarah said, like she was speaking the obvious and was confused why. "Jareth. Why?"

Sarah's mouth tingled slightly as she said the Goblin King's name a second time and she wasn't sure why, but she ignored it.

"Why do you have permission to call him by his given name?" Adelaide asked, her brow starting to furrow.

Sarah prepared herself to run. She no longer felt safe enough to keep chatting with this woman.

"I didn't know I _needed_ someone's permission to call them by their name," said Sarah. She wasn't lying.

Adelaide's rage boiled over and she practically seethed as she stared daggers into Sarah.

Sarah instinctively started to step back, getting some distance before she turned to run for it.

However, Sarah's back bumped into something instead and a warm smile snapped into place on Adelaide's face. A pair of hands rested on Sarah's shoulders and without even turning around, Sarah knew that the Goblin King was behind her.

[11]

When Jareth heard his name spoken by Sarah, he knew something was wrong. When he'd summoned the crystal to check in on her, things were worse than he feared. Adelaide was there.

He had watched the exchange between Sarah and Adelaide for a moment, until he saw a look on Adelaide's face that he had only ever seen on the face of a woman who had once tried to kill him.

Within seconds, Jareth was standing behind Sarah as she stepped back into him. Adelaide's face snapped into a warm smile and he gently rested his hands on Sarah's shoulders. More than anything, it was a show of his protection over Sarah.

"What are you doing here, Queen Adelaide?" Jareth demanded.

"Oh, I just wanted to meet your little pet, Your Majesty," Adelaide said calmly, trying very hard to keep her mask in place. "And I must say, you've got excellent taste in your playthings, she's very–"

"I believe you heard _Sarah_ say it clearly," said Jareth, his voice hard like a stone wall. "She is both my guest and the Champion of the Labyrinth. She is no plaything."

"Oh, well then, my sincerest apologies," said Adelaide. She dipped into a small curtsy towards Sarah.

"Your apologies are not accepted," Jareth said coldly before Sarah could speak. "Now get out of my Kingdom."

Adelaide stiffened but nodded, then turned her gaze back on Sarah.

"I'll see you at the ball, Sarah," said Adelaide. The way it was spoken almost sounded like a threat, but before Jareth could act on that assumption, the woman had disappeared in a small shimmer of glitter.

Jareth glared at the spot before turning his attention to Sarah.

"What was that?" demanded Jareth.

"I have no idea," said Sarah, breaking from his grip to look him the eyes. "She just showed up out of nowhere and started spouting nonsense."

Something in Jareth didn't quite believe Sarah, but he didn't question her.

"Then why don't I escort you back to the castle and your maid," Jareth offered his arm to her.

Sarah looked at the castle, their general surroundings, and at the book in her hands as though she were debating her options before she let out a sigh and placed her hand carefully on his arm.

"Thanks."

"You are very welcome, Precious."

[11]

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><p><strong>Howdy! So, fun stuff is happening! Also, like to point out, I rarely point stuff out without a reason for it and if I do, I don't mean to. Also, I don't like to just not explain things, like motivations and stuff. If I don't, it's probably because I forgot.<strong>

**And great news! I fixed a few minor details I needed to clean up in the older chapters! Yay! Better yet, the next three or so chapters should be pretty ball centric. Meaning, if everything goes according to plan, chapter 13 will be when the ball begins. And I can't wait for the big surprise I have in store for you all. :)**

**Thanks for reading, have a nice current time of day or night!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Labyrinth related. Or Labyrinth itself.**

**Thanks to tmwillson3 for being my BETA as always and making these chapters better. Give her a peak if you have some time! (also, I've been misspelling her username by accident. It has two L's and I've been making a terrible mistake! Sorry!)**

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><p><em>Sarah was at the Equinox Ball again. There people were everywhere again, dancing and spinning, moving so fast, she couldn't even keep track of any one person. So far, it was a miracle Sarah hadn't woken up with the world tipping.<em>

_She could see herself dancing, her partner obscured from view. The song seemed familiar, like she had heard it before, but couldn't place it. The future version of herself was twirled before being pulled back into her partner's arms._

_There was a crash somewhere behind her, the sound of glass shattering; Sarah's future hand shot up into the air and grabbed a knife just as it was about to plunge into her partner's face._

_As her future self let out a cry of pain, releasing the knife to clatter to the floor, Sarah whirled around, searching for the person that threw the knife, hoping to find some sign, some reason, but before she could find the culprit–_

–Sarah awoke with a shudder.

Opening her eyes, Sarah saw nothing before her. She was surrounded in darkness. It didn't really matter to her whether it was the middle of the night or early in the morning, she knew what today would hold.

Suddenly, the curtains around Sarah's bed were pulled open and her eyes were assaulted by bright, natural light.

Sarah groaned in protest as she covered her eyes with her hands.

"No time for that, my Lady," Raineruima's voice said. "You have a busy schedule today. Come on, get up."

Squinting, Sarah opened her eyes again. She didn't understand why it had to be so bright and sunny today. Her eyes slowly adjusted until finally Sarah could sit up without her eyes burning in the light.

Raineruima shuffled around the room busily as Sarah tentatively stepped out of bed.

"Good morning," said Sarah after a few moment of silence. The mortal had discovered early on that Raineruima was not the best at basic pleasantries and didn't like starting conversations if she could help it.

Rather than responding, the elf merely nodded in her direction, causing Sarah to sigh.

"Alright, then, I'll just get in the bath," said Sarah.

Raineruima was just caught up in her own thoughts today. Sarah had been having the same nightmare for the past few days. She never said anything about it, but Raineruima heard her say the same few phrases every morning before she woke up.

The elf was worried.

But unfortunately, she didn't have time to worry. As soon as Sarah was dry, they had to go down stairs to the preparation room.

Kaia would make sure the dress fit while Raineruima had to make sure Sarah was perfect for her first appearance before the Fae Court, as well as ensure that Sarah knew who to greet which way and she wouldn't embarrass herself on the dance floor.

The elf had no doubt that if the Goblin King didn't ask her to dance, someone else would.

[12]

Although she hadn't been very surprised when Raineruima had tied her into a corset and had her slip a loose, clean dress over her head before they headed down to Kaia's workshop, she was when they didn't go there.

The room they walked into was similar to a dressing room. The walls were covered in large mirrors; there was a counter along one – the length of which was covered in makeup, jewelry, and perfumes – and a mannequin sitting in the corner with Sarah's dress displayed on it.

The only problem was that, while it looked exactly the same, the dress had been turned completely green and now looked like a pile of summer leaves.

Before Sarah could ask, Kaia burst into the room, asking as she hopped, "What Lady think? What Lady think?"

"It's as beautiful as it was yesterday," Sarah said, smiling. "But why'd you change it green?"

"Special effect!" Kaia explained, looking very proud of herself. "When you walk down stairs, special thing happen! Everyone will go 'ooooh, ahhhh!'"

Sarah suppressed a laugh, but still couldn't shake her confusion. The mortal figured that because Kaia was half-goblin, she wasn't very good at explaining anything and that would probably be the best explanation she would get.

Within minutes, Kaia was sewing Sarah into her dress, making sure it fit her just right so that the dress wouldn't fall down or slip. The dress was snug and fit remarkably comfortably.

After she put her high-heeled shoes on, the two older women had Sarah dance around in the dress for a few minutes, drilled her in standing up and sitting down appropriately, and curtsying, just to make sure that the dress fit correctly.

Whenever something shifted slightly, moved around on her, or just didn't look quite right, Kaia would make a few stitches and fix it so that the dress would not do that again.

Once the dress was by all means perfect, Kaia sat on the floor with her knees tucked to her chest and watched like a child as Raineruima started prepping Sarah further.

Raineruima tried several hairdo's, testing them to see if they looked right. Raineruima tried for two hours trying to find the right look for Sarah, during which time, Sarah had taken to reading a book aloud to Kaia to keep them both entertained.

Finally, the elf stepped back and nodded approvingly. Sarah's waist length hair had been piled on top of her hair in a mix of curls and braids, with two loose hairs curled at the base of her neck, and two more framing her face. In the midst of her hair were a few carefully placed ornaments, shaped like leaves.

"This is lovely, Ruima, but how is it going to stay up?" Sarah asked, turning her head this way and that to get a good look at the whole thing. There was no way that Sarah could think of that would make it stay for the length of the rest of the day.

"The pins are enchanted," Raineruima responded, looking carefully over the make-ups and sniffing a few of the perfume bottles as she passed them. "They'll keep your hair up as long as you don't play with them or they are removed."

"Is there anything in the Underground that _isn't_ magical?" asked Sarah sarcastically.

"The chair," said Kaia, attempting to be helpful.

Sarah laughed at this, then felt her stomach churn slightly. Glancing up at the clock, she was hardly surprised to find that it was noon and that she hadn't eaten anything yet.

"Hey, can we eat something?" asked Sarah, looking over at the Raineruima again. "I didn't get breakfast and I'm really hungry."

Raineruima's mouth twisted slightly.

"Kaia, go fetch us something light from the kitchen," the elf ordered. "We'll wait to continue until you return."

"Okay!" Kaia exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I be back in ten minutes!"

[12]

It took Kaia thirty minutes to return, in which time, Raineruima attempted to train Sarah to curtsy properly and in several styles of dance. The elf had been extremely relieved that Sarah already knew how to waltz properly, but was less thrilled with Sarah's ability with the other dances.

When Kaia finally arrived back at the room, food in hand, half the food already had whole bites taken out of it, for which the woman had apologized unconvincingly. Sarah didn't mind as much as Raineruima, mostly because she was used to Toby stealing some of her food from time to time when he was really little.

After the meal was finished, Raineruima had Sarah close her eyes as she applied the entirety of the mortal girl's makeup. It took thirty minutes in which Sarah was terribly bored and uncomfortable.

Of course, Sarah was surprised when she opened her eyes and found her makeup was very similar to the Goblin King's. Her eye shadow was shaped like a pair of green wings swooping up towards her eyebrows, which had been shaped to curve down at the ends so that they met the tips of the wings.

Her lips had been painted a deep red to contrast the paleness of her skin. There didn't seem to be a single flaw or imperfection left on her face.

Then Raineruima brought a bottle of perfume over to Sarah and instructed her to move her head from one side to the next as she applied it with one small puff at a time. Behind each ear, the base of her throat, in her cleavage, her inner elbows, her wrists, and finally, much to her surprise, behind her knees.

Sarah refused to ask about it as she could bet that Raineruima would give her a strange look for not knowing something like this. To her, not knowing such a thing was likely extremely uncommon and a sign of foolishness or laziness on Sarah's part.

Finally, Raineruima placed a heavy gold and green necklace on Sarah's throat, a pair of low-hanging earrings, and a bracelet for her right wrist, all made to match one another.

By the time they were done, it was two in the afternoon and Sarah was ready for the ball with her shawl wrapped comfortably around her shoulders. It was then that Raineruima chose to lecture Sarah on what she was meant to do.

"Because this is your first ball, you will be the last to arrive," Raineruima explained as she had Kaia waltz with Sarah as they were closer to each other in height, just to make sure that the mortal could. "They will announce you and you will have to walk down the stairs alone. Do not use the railing as a support, and, by the Fates, do _not_ trip. You may take as long as you need to, to get down to the ballroom floor, but you must not trip. If you do, you risk embarrassing His Majesty, King Jareth.

"When you reach the bottom of the stairs, a path will be made for you to approach the thrones where you will formally greet His Majesty, the High King, and his son as the High Prince. Curtsy as deeply as you are able, as it is a sign of respect. Formally introduce yourself by your name and status, in this instance, as the Champion of the Labyrinth. Say you are honored to be there. When you have done all of this, the High King will make a small speech, then the party will begin.

"If anyone approaches you, they will introduce themselves. Try to be polite. try not to antagonize anyone. If you do, be aware, because you are under King Jareth's name, anything you say or do could potentially affect relations with other Kingdoms. Do you understand?"

"Yes," said Sarah, rolling her eyes slightly. "Just please tell me I can refuse to dance if I want to."

"You can, but be careful how you refuse. You don't–"

"I don't want to offend anyone," interrupted Sarah. "I get it."

Sarah glanced up at the clock. It was only two-thirty. The ball would not start until six and her feet were already starting to ache.

When Sarah voiced this, Raineruima had Sarah sit, and had Kaia run off to get some cold water for Sarah to soak her feet in between dance lessons until it was time.

For the next three and a half hours, that is exactly what they would do. Sarah would dance whatever she was instructed to, often struggling to do it just right unless it was a waltz, but slowly picked up the steps one by one. Sarah was only allowed to soak her feet occasionally until the last half-hour before the ball, where she was forced to sit until it was time for them to leave.

[12]

Sarah stood just out of sight near the entrance to the ballroom. Her stomach twisted with butterflies and it took a great deal of control to keep her breaths even. Raineruima had left her there, telling her that when it was time, the announcer would retrieve her before he called her name.

Her hands were shaking underneath the just-past-the-elbow length gloves, but Sarah was trying hard to keep it together, to not run out of her hiding spot and bolt for the exit.

She wasn't scared of being in front of a crowd; Sarah had gotten used to that in high school when she'd done drama all the time. She wasn't scared of the people and the judgments they would likely make about her; she'd gotten used to that in high school as well. She wasn't even really afraid of Adelaide.

What scared her was that she had dreamed of this night every time she closed her eyes for days. She knew that something was going to happen that night. A knife was going to be thrown at one of her dance partners; she knew that something was going to happen that was going to infuriate Adelaide beyond belief and shock the rest of the partygoers.

What truly scared Sarah was that she had no idea what this shocking thing was. Not once had her dreams revealed it to her.

In seven years that she'd had these dreams, Sarah had become fairly accustomed to knowing what was going to happen and when. She was used to being prepared for the most important things of her day. She didn't have that now.

She only had a vague idea of when it would happen.

Sarah heard many names called from her hiding place. Many Kings and Queens from various countries were attending, but they were still vastly outnumbered by lesser nobles from many more countries.

Finally, a voice came from behind Sarah.

"My Lady, it is time," the announcer told her, bowing low. "Please take your place."

"Thank you," she said, smiling with confidence that she didn't have. "I'll be right there."

The announcer nodded and ducked away, giving Sarah a moment to take a deep breath and steady herself.

"You can do this," Sarah told herself quietly. "Everything will be fine."

The image of herself bleeding flashed into her mind, but Sarah quickly shoved the thought away.

"Everything will be fine," she told herself again, this time more firmly.

Quickly, Sarah stepped out from her hiding spot and approached the closed double doors that would lead to the ballroom. She watched the doors patiently, listening to the chatter on the other side of the door that seemed to fill the room.

The noise was oddly comforting to Sarah as it reminded her of the job at the bar. A part of her laughed at the fear that she might try to start waitressing again based out of habit alone.

Finally, the doors clicked open, slowly easing their way open and allowing the light of the ballroom to fill the antechamber.

As Sarah took her first step out the doors, she heard her named called.

"Lady Sarah Williams of the Aboveground, Champion of the Labyrinth."

[12]

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><p><strong>Ah, the Ball begins! Next chapter! All prep work. I don't know why I wanted this chapter. I think I wanted to build some extra suspense. Working on the next chapter right now! Hopefully I'll have it done and up soon. Fingers crossed.<strong>

**Also, if you started reading my other fanfic, which I started posting a few weeks ago, keep in mind that one is not my priority, but I plan on posting about a chapter a month, while I'm aiming for about two chapters a month for Dreamseer. This story is my priority and what I'm trying to focus on.**

**As always, sorry for any wait.**


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